Lapland Hotels & Safaris

The Lapland tourism market faces growing competition from global Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), coinciding with a major shift toward last-minute, mobile-first bookings. Before the renewal, the digital services did not offer a competitive advantage:

• Frequent drop-offs: Customers found the booking service difficult to use on mobile and desktop, often switching to other platforms to finish their reservation.
• Information gap: Both Finnish and international travelers lacked a clear understanding of Lapland’s geography, distances, and what different locations have to offer. Customers found the hotel information and additional services hard to find, or they were nonexistent.
• Cross and upselling: Chances to upsell during the customer journey and check out were not optimal
• Performance issues during high season

To ensure the new solution met actual user needs, the new booking engine and website layouts were validated with customers and iterated based on the feedback.  

1. Discovery and planning
   We began by prioritizing user personas – such as Finnish families staying in hotels – and mapping their ideal journeys. We established a shared Design System to ensure visual and functional cohesiveness across the entire ecosystem.
2. Prototyping and technical vision

   While the technical team defined a robust architecture using Next.js, .NET, and Azure, the design team built high-fidelity prototypes. Specialized workshops were held for PMS and ERP integrations to ensure real-time data accuracy.
3. User validation and iteration
   We conducted multiple rounds of customer validation with target groups. This led to critical adjustments, such as optimizing the booking journey steps and increasing the amount of informative content on "product" pages to build booking confidence.

The final solution balances a Dreaming Mode that inspires through visual serenity and an Intuitive Purchasing Mode that simplifies complex backend logistics.

"I love the visuals; they create a sense of peace. That's what I sort of expect when I'm heading up North – I want calm and a closeness to nature."
– Target group representative, customer validation