Digital Spice

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Department Director of Sonesta Hotels of New York

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Hospitality Company 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Digital Spice to accomplish?

• Developed a brand-new website following ADA best practices, enhanced functionality and tracking /analytics
• Strategic Content Restructuring: We audited the entire site, pruning deadweight pages and nesting valuable orphan content under a logical, scalable URL hierarchy. Interlinking was applied meticulously to foster discoverability and support search indexing.
• Navigation That Flows: We implemented user-tested UX pathways with consistent top-level navigation and smart CTAs to guide users across properties without disorientation.
• Rich Menu Dropdowns: We created visually and content-rich menu drop-downs to allow users to compare and contrast properties with a simple hover.
• SEO-Friendly “Common Areas”: We introduced 5 pages under the main navigation to target different audience segments (business travelers, vacationers, extended stays, event planners) to the property that best matches their needs.
• SEO Best Practices at Every Layer: Meta details were rewritten for relevance and performance. Pages were streamlined for crawlability, while accessibility and ADA compliance were prioritized to ensure broad usability.
• Brand Alignment & Trust Signals: All visual elements and copy were unified under the Sonesta brand umbrella. Key landing pages featured site-wide ribbons and a dedicated content piece to orient returning visitors and preserve search equity.

SOLUTION

How did you find Digital Spice?

Referral

Why did you select Digital Spice over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Digital Spice were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

My experience working with the Digital Spice team has been exceptional from start to finish. We engaged them to fully develop and manage our Sonesta NYC website, and their scope of work encompassed every phase of the project, including:

• Website Development & Framework where Digital Spice designed and built a robust, user-friendly website from the ground up. They established a strong framework that not only met our immediate needs but also set the foundation for future scalability and enhancements.
• Their team developed a comprehensive Content Creation & Optimization strategy, ensuring our hotel messaging and differentiators were clear, engaging, and aligned each of the hotel’s different brand identities. They also optimized all content for SEO to help enhance and improve our visibility online.
• The Digital Spice team executed the website launch flawlessly, ensuring all technical aspects, hosting requirements, and integrations were handled with precision and zero downtime.
• Pre and post-launch, the team implemented thorough analytics tracking and developed new reports providing insights into website performance. This has been invaluable for guiding data-driven decisions.
• They also dedicated time to teach and train my internal team on the website functionality and CMS system
• Beyond launch, the team continues to provide proactive updates, functionality improvements, and routine maintenance. Their commitment to continuously enhancing our site ensures that it remains secure, up-to-date, and optimized for user experience.
• Most importantly, Digital Spice helped maintain our overall revenues while significantly enhancing website driven revenue and performance. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have seen phenomenal results since we launched – even amid uncertainty within the travel and New York City market. Overall, Sessions are up 59%, Bookings are up 39% and Revenue is up 46%.

Organic Traffic: +41.2% YoY

Availability Check Rate: +84.7% YoY

Room Revenue: +11.1% YoY

Accessibility & Compliance: Score improved from the low 60s into the green zone (80–100), ensuring a more inclusive experience while reducing exposure to compliance risks.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

From start to finish, Digital Spice demonstrated excellent project management throughout our engagement. They maintained great time management, holding weekly calls to review progress, address any questions, and keep the project fully on track. Their team was fully engaged and responsive, taking the time to explain best practices and guide us through every stage of development.

Thanks to their organized approach and clear communication, all deliverables were met on schedule, and the website launched seamlessly and on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Digital Spice?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their combination of technical expertise, strategic insight and truly friendly collaborative service has made them an invaluable partner. They are always looking to go above and beyond.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Digital Spice could have done differently?

I am very fortunate to say I had no issues throughout the project and was thoroughly satisfied with the entire experience with Zoe and her team. I am also in the process of working with Digital Spice on another exciting project that will be launching within the next few weeks.