With a focus on a younger, affluent audience, particularly 25-40 year olds, the website, which is web, tablet and mobile compatible, includes contemporary and designer hotels, chic B&Bs and new destinations, as well as traditional favourites. Use of stunning imagery, editorial write-ups and destination information with top tips, also ensures the new look is more synonymous with the Condé Nast brand values, says Condé Nast.
Key highlights of the refreshed site include:
• New ways to search; search by property type, continent & country, experience or by map.
• Predictive search functionality for hotels and destinations.
• User-friendly booking enquiry, with the option of sending an enquiry to multiple hotels.
• Option to submit flexible dates when booking.
• Highly targeted, inspirational editorial content featuring Editor’s Picks.
• Itinerary planning option.
• Improved Google Maps coming soon.
The new design will also offer greater flexibility and scope for advertisements from luxury travel and consumer brands.
Charlotte Evans, Group Publishing Director of Condé Nast Johansens, comments, “The re-imagination of the website has been six months in development and the new, improved site is inspiring, informative, practical and beautiful, guaranteeing an enhanced user journey. The new sleek design will also complement the new print guides, out later this year, and will ensure that Condé Nast Johansens remains the internationally respected symbol of excellence and trusted reference point that it has become over the years.”
The refreshed website is part of the digital evolution and brand modernisation for the Condé Nast Johansens guides, announced in January. Other changes include the refreshed logo, the digital-only venue guide, available online now, and ultimately, three newly designed printed 2014 guides which will be available from October 2013. The 2014 guides will comprise: one combined guide to recommended hotels and spas in UK, Europe and the Mediterranean; one guide to recommended hotels and spas in the Americas, Caribbean and Pacific; and one global guide to luxury spas.
According to the publishers, Condé Nast Johansens remains the most comprehensive illustrated reference to annually inspected, independently owned hotels. With dedicated and highly trained Inspectors, almost ten times as many properties have been assessed as appear in the Guides, in order to narrow the final selection down to, quite simply, the best selection of accommodation for independent travellers. With a readership of 7.6 million, the Guides distribution now totals 157,350 internationally.
