Macdonald Hotels & Resorts is one of Britain’s best loved and leading hotel groups with over 40 hotels across the UK. The hotel group has been working with Motive for a number of years and as their portfolio of properties has grown, so too has their relationship with Motive. Since working with Motive, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts has developed their online presence and functionality, further strengthening their quality brand offering online.
Macdonald Windsor Hotel
September 2010 marked the launch of Macdonald Windsor Hotel, a contemporary new addition to the hotel group’s portfolio. In the run up to Macdonald Windsor Hotel opening, Motive worked closely with the hotel to maximise online awareness of this new property. Artist’s drawings and impressions were used on the site to give potential guests an accurate impression and feel for the luxury interiors and layout.
Keen to introduce a new look for Windsor’s website that would complement this stylish new boutique hotel, Motive suggested a departure from the hotel group’s regular website template. This time Motive developed an innovative layout that could well be the future look adopted across the hotel group’s online presence.
Bespoke Booking Engine
Motive developed a bespoke booking engine which was then fully integrated to MICROS Fidelio, enabling a seamless booking experience by the end user. This mirrors the online booking facility that Motive provided for all of Macdonald Hotels & Resorts.
Online bookings for the hotel group were made possible after Motive completed one of the first integrations of MICROS Fidelio’s Opera in the UK. When this version of Opera no longer enabled Macdonald Hotels & Resorts to provide the online booking facility they needed, Motive developed a bespoke booking engine that allowed the hotel group to double their online bookings. Following MICROS’s move to bring their Opera Web Service online, Motive developed a bespoke booking engine, fully integrated in OWS, improving the online booking experience for users. Not only did this benefit the user experience, but it also meant that Macdonald Hotels were now able to manage their reservations centrally.
Online Loyalty Scheme
Motive worked closely with IM London, a consultancy specialising in loyalty schemes, in order to integrate Opera with an online loyalty programme for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts.
Ongoing Projects
Motive is responsible for ongoing content management for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts’ hotel websites making regular changes and updates, including the addition of special offers and seasonal packages. Each hotel website has a 360 degree tour, video and photo gallery, with Motive’s design team ensuring that images are clear, easily accessible and quick to load.
Motive’s latest project is to develop a business site for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts’ numerous corporate clients. The new site will allow meetings’ buyers to view capacity charts, room layout plans and check delegate rates giving them access to lots of information within a few easy clicks.
Responsible for all maintenance and support of the hotel group’s website as well as individual hotel sites, Motive provide a service that leaves Macdonald Hotels & Resorts staff free to focus on their priorities, the most important being to look after their guests. Great food, great locations, great service is Macdonald Hotels & Resorts’ mantra and with Motive’s IT support, we look forward to continuing our relationship with them and further building on their success as a leading UK brand of hotels for leisure and business travel.