Introduction

• Brief: Build an iPhone app for Hotel Palermitano in Buenos Aires.

• Challenge: Make it super easy for guests to find promotions, events, and amenities—while showcasing the hotel’s vibe.

• Goals: Simple navigation, up-to-date info, and a gallery that sells the experience.

Discovery Phase

• Stakeholder interviews: Talked with hotel management about must-haves and nice-to-haves.

• Business requirements: Highlight promotions/events, support bookings, and drive foot traffic.

• User needs: Guests want quick info, directions, and a sense of what makes the hotel unique.

Problem Framing

• Problem: Guests struggled to find the latest offers and navigate the hotel’s amenities from their phones.

• Success: Users can check events, browse the gallery, and get directions in two taps or less.

• Constraints: iOS-only, must integrate with Google Maps, content needs to be easy to update.

User Research

• User interviews: Asked recent guests how they plan trips and what they look for in a hotel app.

• Competitive analysis: Checked out other boutique hotel apps—most were clunky or too basic.

• Market research: Found that great visuals and easy navigation drive bookings.

Synthesis

• Personas: Urban travelers, business guests, and event seekers—all want info fast.

• Journey mapping: From app open to viewing a promo/event, then navigating to the hotel.

• Key insights: Visuals matter, but speed is everything; buried info means lost bookings.

Solution Development

• Info architecture: Home screen with promos/events, gallery tab, and map tab.

• Wireframes/prototypes: Sketched flows, then clickable mockups for quick feedback.

• Visual design: Clean, photo-driven, with bold CTAs and simple icons.

Testing

• Usability testing: Ran sessions with guests and staff; flagged confusing flows.

• User feedback: Tweaked gallery navigation and map integration.

• Design iterations: Streamlined event/promo updates and improved image loading.

Implementation

• Handoff: Delivered annotated screens and flows to devs.

• Dev collaboration: Worked closely to ensure smooth Google Maps and gallery integration.

• Go-to-market: Promoted via hotel website, at check-in, and through local partners.

Results & Impact

• Metrics: More promo/event views, longer session times, and positive guest feedback.

• User adoption: Guests actually used the app during their stay.

• Business impact: Helped drive bookings and event attendance.

• Lessons learned: Visuals + speed win, and updateable content is a must for hospitality apps.