Dates stay safe
A sold-out room offers nearby dates, a different room or a waitlist. No fake scarcity or countdown.
04 / 04Independent concept case study
Brand strategy / Product design / Growth system
Lisbon, at a better pace. A connected identity, booking experience and marketing system for an imagined 18-room design hotel.
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01 / The challenge
A small hotel needs more than a beautiful first impression.
LUMA HOUSE explores how an independent property could reduce reliance on online travel agencies without pressure tactics. The work connects positioning, identity, a responsive booking prototype and a complete content strategy around one decision: is this the right stay?
The scope spans brand and product design, nine property photographs, a twenty-poster campaign, and proposed search, email and measurement systems.
02 / Business reframing
Contribution per completed stay—not booking volume alone.
Direct room revenue − paid acquisition − payment fees − cancellation cost − incremental servicing. The comparison with an OTA booking starts with commission avoided, then deducts the extra costs of winning and serving that direct stay.
This is a proposed decision model, not a report of trading performance. A higher conversion rate is not a win if cancellations or support costs erase the gain.
03 / Positioning
Calm should not hide the decision.
Lisbon, at a better pace.
The early atmosphere-first direction was too interchangeable with the category. The final approach keeps the feeling of a small Lisbon house, but brings room size, outlook, price and policy forward. For travelers who want the city close without feeling rushed.
- Edit lightly — a few useful recommendations, not an endless itinerary.
- Explain clearly — room facts and the full stay total before commitment.
- Host thoughtfully — practical arrival details and calm recovery when plans change.
04 / Logo development
Three directions explored light, a house ledger and an open shutter. Lightwell’s precise gap offered the clearest foundation for the final Light Cut: two vertical planes, one deliberate pause.
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Exploration and application boards document the development. The production vectors and digital palette below define the final system.
05 / The final identity
Open shutters. Lisbon light. The space between the city and the house. A compact path-based mark holds its character in horizontal, stacked and small-scale applications.
Manrope / 400—700. A clear, warm voice. Character through scale and spacing; practical information stays easy to find.
Lisbon,at a better pace.Aa Bb Cc / 0123456789
- Warm Paper
- #F8F7F3
- LUMA Ink
- #17211D
- Lisbon Rust
- #B94E35
- Courtyard Green
- #264E3F
06 / Photography
Wide room views establish proportions. Bathrooms, desk space and courtyard access answer practical questions. Linen, aged timber and ordinary movement connect the rooms to the neighborhood.
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07 / Room architecture
One inventory record carries through discovery, comparison and booking. The choice is about fit—not an invented “best” room.
| Room | Size | Bed | Outlook | Per night | Three nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | 17–19 m² | Queen | Street | €210 | €630 |
| Courtyard | 19–21 m² | Queen | Courtyard | €240 | €720 |
| Top Floor | 22–25 m² | King | City & rooftops | €280 | €840 |
Illustrative stay: 18–21 September 2026 · 3 nights · 2 guests · VAT included. Flexible cancellation until 11 September 2026 at 15:00. These are design scenarios, not available rates.
08 / Desktop & mobile UX/UI
A task-led search and comparable room facts replace atmospheric ambiguity. On mobile, the search becomes a compact two-column form and room exploration remains within thumb reach. No decorative device frames—just the interface.
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09 / Booking journey
Room → rate → details → review. Dates, guest count, room and total remain connected. The flexible rate exposes its deadline; prepay makes the 10% saving and non-refundable trade-off explicit.
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Interface views from the supplied interactive prototype. Form fields are illustrative; no reservation or payment is made on this portfolio page.
10 / Failure states & accessibility
Recovery belongs in the core journey. The prototype includes room-unavailable and payment-failure states; the booking dialog supports keyboard focus and Escape. Responsive forms keep labels attached and actions within reach.
Retry, not restart
A failed attempt preserves room, rate and guest details. The message explains what to check next.
Repeat the essentials
Room, dates, guests, total and cancellation terms come together again. Policy stays visible before payment—not behind a tooltip.
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11 / Social campaign
Twenty connected posters move from discovery to room choice, price clarity, flexibility and return consideration. Monumental type, a bedside switch and a blooming house lead; city-to-room transitions, breakfast and local discovery follow.
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All 20 finished posters. Open any artwork for a full view; use left/right arrows to explore and Escape to return. The campaign is a designed content system, not a record of published performance.
12 / Marketing system
The proposed channel plan repeats one useful truth at each decision. Creative builds recognition; the website carries facts; lifecycle communication helps the guest finish and prepare.
| Moment | Channel | Job | Next useful action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | Social / local editorial | Establish a distinctive sense of place | Explore the house |
| Compare | Search / room pages | Make size, bed, outlook and value comparable | Choose a room |
| Commit | Booking / recovery email | Keep total, policy and choices visible | Review the stay |
| Prepare | Confirmation / arrival email | Reduce uncertainty before arrival | Save practical details |
| Return | Field notes / opt-in email | Give a relevant reason to come back | Consider another stay |
Planned rollout: weeks 1–2 establish the foundation; weeks 3–6 learn from creative and intent; weeks 7–12 refine the strongest paths.
13 / Email lifecycle
Service messages and marketing consent have different jobs. The proposed lifecycle avoids treating every page visit as permission to send an email.
| Timing | Message | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 2 hours after an unfinished selection | Selected-stay reminder | Resume room, dates and total—with permission |
| Immediately after a failed attempt | Payment recovery | Return to the preserved reservation details |
| Immediately after completion | Confirmation | Room, dates, total and policy in one place |
| 7 days before arrival | Prepare for Lisbon | Travel and arrival essentials |
| 1 day before arrival | Offline arrival card | Keep the route and check-in details handy |
| Second morning | A local field note | A small, relevant recommendation |
| 24 hours after departure | Feedback | Learn about the stay without assuming satisfaction |
| 120 days later | Return consideration | A relevant invitation for opted-in guests |
Proposed triggers, not sent campaigns. Marketing requires consent; recovery reminders stop after completion, cancellation or the defined seven-day window. Booking data never becomes unrestricted marketing data.
14 / SEO & paid search
Search pages should answer a real question before asking for a reservation. Paid activity starts with a capped, high-intent test—not broad reach for its own sake.
| Search intent | Destination content | Decision to support |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | The house and direct-booking entry | Identify the property and next step |
| Room | Room details and comparison | Understand size, bed, outlook and total |
| Neighborhood | Príncipe Real guide | Decide whether the location fits |
| Practical | Arrival and policies | Resolve access, travel and cancellation questions |
| Inspiration | Local field notes | Imagine a stay without an affiliate checklist |
Proposed paid tests compare room-first and neighborhood-first creative, with clear price and policy. Exclude hostel, monthly-rental, jobs and furniture intent. Judge completed-stay contribution alongside cancellations and support—not click-through rate alone.
15 / Measurement plan
After acquisition. After cancellation. After the stay.
The measurement model follows room selection, booking start, rate choice, review, recovery and completion. Commercial value is evaluated after the cancellation window, with privacy and guest comprehension as guardrails.
Contribution
Direct revenue less acquisition, payment, cancellation and servicing costs. Compare it with the OTA alternative.
Clarity
Observe whether travelers can compare rooms and explain the total and cancellation deadline before committing.
Recovery
Track payment recovery, cancellation and support burden. Keep names, email, card details and free-text notes out of analytics.
16 / Outcome & next steps
A connected brand and booking concept.
The work brings together a vector identity, property imagery, a responsive booking prototype, twenty finished posters and a proposed growth system. The next step is validation—not a claim of commercial success.
Validate the decision
Observe five international travelers comparing rooms and explaining the cancellation policy. This research is proposed, not completed.
Connect the operations
Integrate real inventory and taxes, validate arrival information, and refine native-language translations.
Learn after the stay
Test offline arrival support and evaluate contribution once cancellations and servicing costs are known.