Hospitality
Cobalt Hotels Group
Direct-booking site and loyalty program for a boutique hotel group bleeding margin to OTAs.
- Brand
- Web
- Loyalty
+58%
Direct bookings
Industry
Hospitality
Engagement
Brand · Web · Loyalty
Timeline
90-day operating window
Headline result
+58% Direct bookings
The challenge
What we walked into.
Cobalt's four boutique hotels were running at healthy occupancy, but 78% of bookings came through Expedia and Booking.com — and the commissions were eating into the renovation budget. Guests had no reason to come back direct.
The approach
How we ran it.
01
Workstream 1
Property-led brand system
Built a master-brand-with-room-to-breathe identity that honored each property's character while making the group recognizable.
02
Workstream 2
Direct-booking site
Shipped a fast, image-first booking site with best-rate guarantee, dynamic offers, and an upsell flow at checkout for upgrades and add-ons.
03
Workstream 3
Loyalty + email
Launched a stay-credit loyalty program with a lifecycle email engine that re-engages guests around their actual travel windows.
Measurable results
The numbers that moved.
Outcomes after 12 months
+58%
Direct bookings
−$340k
OTA commissions saved annually
31%
Repeat guest rate
The compounding effect
What it unlocked.
The work didn't end at handoff — it became the operating system the team runs every day.
— ParkWest engagement notes
Cobalt is opening a fifth property in 2026 onto the same brand and booking stack, with the loyalty program already pre-populated with 14k members.
More work
