Embraced by nature, The Cabins at Gulf State Park consists of 21 charming, fully furnished cabins, some set among a treeline of pines and others along the shore of Lake Shelby. This property’s location is a stunning place that supports nine ecosystems and hundreds of species of wildlife, from alligators and otters to coyotes and bobcats, and an incredible variety of birds. To stay here is truly an answer to the call of the wild.
We recently had the pleasure of working with The Cabins at Gulf State Park on their website redesign. They chose a simple, modern responsive design that showcases the beauty of their surroundings through big, beautiful photos. Plenty of white space, a neutral colour palette and classic font complement high- quality images for stand-out visuals and timeless appeal.
A screen-spanning image slideshow greets visitors to the website, immediately transporting them to the lake. Text overlay entices visitors to explore the site with words like, “Off the beaten path” and “Unique as we are beautiful,” accompanied by a “Discover more” button that takes users deeper into the site. Alternatively, users can scroll downward for an overview of all the property (and website) has to offer.
The site’s content is well organised and intuitive to navigate with prominent call-to-action buttons and links, and familiar menu styles—a horizontal menu on desktop, which sticks to the top of the screen as users scroll down, and a hamburger menu on mobile. The “book now” button takes users directly to the property’s user-friendly online booking engine and is always available at the top of any page.
As you explore the website, even the page transitions convey a sense of excitement and adventure through a dynamic circular fade. This goes to show that the smallest details like page transitions can make an impact on the overall feel and experience of a website.
When it comes to marketing lodgings, selling the experience and destination is very important. The Cabins at Gulf State Park does this well on their website by portraying the outdoor experience through beautiful images and compelling descriptions. Their “Things To Do” page provides users with a single convenient point of reference for recommended area attractions and activities, with links to third-party sites opening in new tabs (so as not to leave the property’s website).
Environmentally friendly accommodations and experiences are also increasingly important to today’s travelers. Last year, research conducted by Booking.com found that 87 percent of global travelers would like to travel sustainably. Appealing to this very large proportion of travelers, The Cabins at Gulf State Park promotes their sustainability efforts with a page dedicated to just that.
This simple, intuitive, responsive design offers a seamless user experience across all devices and is easy for the property to manage behind the scenes too. Through their WordPress content management system, website administrators can quickly and easily update content as required.
Thinking of a website redesign for your property? Contact us to find out how easy and affordable it is to turn your vision into reality.