• Industry:

    Hotel & Accommodation

  • Location:

    Skipton, North Yorkshire

  • Platform:

    WordPress + PMS Integration

  • Result:

    Direct bookings weekly

The Coach House Skipton

A Skipton Institution Goes Online

The Coach House has been a fixture in Skipton for decades. Guests love it. Reviews are excellent. But until recently, they had no website at all. Every booking came through Booking.com, Expedia, or similar platforms — each one taking a cut of the profit.

It was time to change that.

The Problem

Operating without a website in 2024 creates serious business problems:

Third-Party Fees

Every booking through Booking.com or similar platforms meant giving away 15-20% of the room rate.

No Direct Channel

Guests who wanted to book direct had no way to do so online. Phone only — not ideal for modern travellers.

Missing Information

No central place for room details, amenities, or local attractions. Guests had to piece together information.

Lost Opportunity

An established business with a great reputation, invisible on Google for direct searches.

What We Built

The goal was simple: create a professional website that integrates with their existing property management system and drives direct bookings.

Direct Booking Integration

The most important feature — seamless booking without third-party fees:

  • PMS integration — bookings sync directly with their property management system
  • Real-time availability — guests see what’s actually available
  • Secure payment — handled through trusted payment gateways
  • Instant confirmation — no waiting, no manual processing

Professional Presentation

The Coach House has years of reputation. The website needed to reflect that:

  • Clean, professional design — matching their existing branding
  • Room showcases — each room presented with photos and amenities
  • Mobile-optimised — guests researching on phones get the full experience
  • Fast loading — no one waits for a hotel site

Easy Management

Hotel staff needed to make quick updates without calling a developer:

  • Simple content updates — change text and images easily
  • Room availability — managed through the PMS, reflected on site
  • No technical skills needed — training provided for the team

The Results

Direct Bookings Weekly

Guests now book through the website, keeping more profit per room in the business.

Reduced Third-Party Dependence

Still listed on booking platforms, but now with a direct alternative that costs nothing per booking.

Professional Online Presence

An established institution now has an online presence that matches its reputation.

Staff Confidence

The team can make updates themselves. No more waiting for external help.

The site launched and immediately started generating direct bookings. As spring arrived, bookings increased — exactly when they needed them most.

Ongoing Support

The Coach House opted for one of my support plans, which includes:

  • Hosting and security — fast, secure, always online
  • Regular updates — WordPress and plugins kept current
  • Email migration — moved their email to the same server
  • Priority support — help when they need it

For a hospitality business, uptime matters. They don’t have to worry about the technical side.

Key Takeaways

If you run a hotel or B&B without a website (or with an outdated one), you’re leaving money on the table:

  1. Every direct booking is more profitable — no 15-20% platform fees
  2. Guests want to book direct — many prefer it, if you make it easy
  3. PMS integration is essential — manual booking management doesn’t scale
  4. Your reputation deserves visibility — don’t let platforms be your only online presence

Ready to Take Direct Bookings?

If you run a hotel, B&B, or guest house and want to reduce platform dependence, let’s talk about getting you set up for direct bookings.

Book a Free Website Review