Explore Lodges: Building the UK’s Lodge Discovery Engine
Explore Lodges lets users quickly find and compare UK lodges via rich profiles and faceted search.
A responsive, Figma-led build with robust validation and separate admin portals keeps it scalable.
Industry
Travel, Hospitality & PropTech
Technology
WordPress, Google Maps API, REST API integration
Services
Discovery & UX research, WordPress engineering & custom plugin development, Integrations (maps, 360° media, email subscription), Content migration & synchronization, Automated property updates via API
Project Overview
Explore Lodges is an online platform that helps users discover and compare lodges across the UK. It showcases detailed lodge and park profiles—including features, amenities, locations, and pricing—paired with easy-to-use search and filters.
The platform also supports smooth content management, marketing tools such as lead forms and gated guides, and a clearly separated administration setup for both Explore Lodges and the main Parklink site.
To make the user experience seamless, properties in the “Explore Lodges” category on Parklink are automatically published to Explore Lodges, ensuring up-to-date listings without manual effort. Google Maps integration allows users to view each property’s exact location, making it easier to explore options visually.
Project Objectives
- Create a smooth and intuitive discovery experience with hierarchical filters (Region → Country → Location) and faceted search, making it easy for users to find lodges that match their needs.
- Provide detailed, structured profiles for lodges, parks, locations, manufacturers, and blogs, helping users make informed decisions.
- Implement smart and user-friendly forms with proper validations, clear error messages, confirmations, redirects, and GDPR-compliant opt-ins.
- Deliver a fully responsive, fast, and reliable site that works seamlessly across devices and modern browsers.
- Maintain content independence with separate admin dashboards for Explore Lodges and Parklink, ensuring updates and changes are safely isolated.
- Support marketing and engagement goals with interactive UI elements, testimonials, blogs, downloadable brochures, and a “Free 10‑Point Guide” lead magnet.
- Enable scalable content management—add, edit, or delete properties, blogs, and other content—without requiring developer intervention.
- Automate content syncing: Ensure that properties posted or updated in Parklink under the “Explore Lodges” category automatically appear on the Explore Lodges site, saving time and keeping listings up-to-date.
- Integrate maps: Use Google Maps to show the exact location of each property, enhancing the browsing experience for users.
Project Execution
1. Design and Discovery Process
- Stakeholder workshops to align on audiences (buyers, sellers, park operators) and KPIs.
- Content inventory → entity‑relationship modeling for CPTs and taxonomies.
- Information Architecture: header/footer IA, search entry points, listing/detail hierarchy.
- Figma component library with interaction specs (hover states for CTAs, sliders, cards).
- Validation UX patterns and error‑state guidelines across all forms.
2. Development and Customization
- Built content models for Lodges, Parks, Locations, Manufacturers, Park Groups, and Blogs, with structured fields for pricing, dimensions, features, videos, and 360° tours.
- Developed listing pages with filters that update results in real-time for lodges, parks, and manufacturers.
- Created detailed property pages with tabbed layouts for features, virtual tours, videos, and nearby recommendations.
- Implemented lead generation funnels, including hero and on-page forms, gated brochures, and a “Free 10‑Point Guide” popup with automatic subscription.
- Designed blog functionality with searchable listings, pagination, and category/tag management for admins.
- Added Park and group pages with facility icons, ratings, itineraries, map embeds, and comparison fields.
- Integrated Google Maps to show exact property locations, helping users explore options visually.
- Built automatic syncing via API so any property added or updated in Parklink under “Explore Lodges” is immediately published on Explore Lodges without manual effort.
- Polished the UI with consistent hover effects, sliders, cards, and micro-interactions aligned with Figma designs.
- Ensured content autonomy through separate dashboards for Explore Lodges and Parklink while sharing a codebase for efficiency, keeping data isolated and secure.
3. Data Migration & Integration
- Migrated all relevant properties, blogs, and media from the Parklink main site to Explore Lodges, ensuring correct categorization, metadata, and formatting.
- Maintained the integrity of rich media assets, including images, videos, and 360° tours, to preserve the user experience.
- Built automated syncing via API so that any new or updated properties in Parklink under “Explore Lodges” are immediately published on the Explore Lodges site.
- Streamlined content operations, enabling non-technical editors to manage listings without manual intervention.
4. Testing & Deployment
- Conducted thorough functional testing across all pages and features, including listings, property details, blogs, and core site sections.
- Verified forms with proper validations, clear error messages, GDPR-compliant consents, and successful submission flows.
- Ensured the site works flawlessly across major browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) and devices (desktop, tablet, mobile).
- Optimized performance through image compression, caching, and code minification, achieving high scores on Lighthouse and WebPageTest.
- Checked accessibility with focus styles, contrast, and ARIA labels to improve usability for all users.
- Implemented security measures including user role restrictions, reCAPTCHA, limited REST access, and regular backups.
- Deployed the site from staging to live with zero downtime, carefully monitoring launch to ensure smooth operation.
5. Launch
- Coordinated content migration, population, and URL redirects to ensure a smooth transition.
- Monitored the site in real-time for issues like broken links, form submissions, and search functionality.
- Provided editorial training and comprehensive handover documentation for both Explore Lodges and Parklink admin portals.
Results & Feedback
- Usability: Stakeholders reported a smoother discovery experience, with interactive hover effects on cards, sliders, and CTAs improving engagement.
- Operations: Non-technical editors can independently manage lodges, parks, locations, blogs, and manufacturers without needing developer support.
- Lead Generation: Validated forms and gated assets (brochures, 10‑Point Guide) improved inbound inquiries and email subscriptions.
- Governance: Explore Lodges and Parklink admin portals operate independently, ensuring updates on one site don’t affect the other.
- Scalability & Automation: The content model, multisite setup, and automated property syncing support future categories, features, and integrations with minimal engineering effort.
- Enhanced User Experience: Google Maps integration allows users to view exact property locations, making the search and selection process more intuitive.
Client’s Feedback
“I was impressed with EbizON Digital’s excellent communication and follow-through. They met every milestone on time and delivered an exceptional end product. Their responsiveness and well-run virtual meetings made the entire process seamless.”
Russ Roland
President, AutoNet Media
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