A hotel renowned as one of the most chic in Scotland has dramatically increased guest numbers, thanks to a team of web geeks.

Tigerlily in Edinburgh has been a runaway success story since it launched in 2006 and has won rave reviews for its glitzy blend of traditional elegance and modern style.

Now it is also defying the economic gloom after digital experts gave the hotel website a makeover, helping it achieve a 20% increase in room bookings and an impressive 85% occupancy rate.

QueryClick specialises in helping businesses ensure their online presence works as efficiently as possible, by attracting the right audience then ensuring user visits are useful, relevant and interesting.

Chris Liversidge, who set the full service search marketing agency two years ago, said: “We know our industry has a reputation for being a bit geeky, so it’s great to work for a venue as cool as Tigerlily.

“One of the most important reasons they are such a success is because they are so good at spotting trends and staying ahead of them.

“That’s true again, because they are genuinely ahead of the pack in realising the growing importance of search marketing and web optimisation and that’s given them yet another competitive advantage.

“The results so far have been extremely pleasing for both Tigerlily and for us at QueryClick – it’s been an ideal blend of geek and chic.”

Tigerlily, is the Scottish capital’s leading boutique bar, restaurant and hotel and part of a portfolio of eight style venues operated by Montpeliers (Edinburgh) Ltd, which include Lulu, rick’s, and Opal Lounge.

Fashioning a profit increase

Since being revamped the website has enjoyed a 30% surge in site visit, while traffic around the most lucrative and relevant keywords has spiked by 40%. Visits from mobile devices, especially iPhones and iPad have soared 131% while the number of people checking online special offers has increased 10-fold.

As well as the technical work to ensure websites are coded and built to attract Google and other search engines, Chris explained how the QueryClick team make websites more user-friendly, while helping businesses showcase themselves more effectively.

For Tigerlily that included working on an innovative “availability calendar” and offering extra availability by referring visitors to sister venue, rick’s, which also offers a number of boutique hotel rooms. Both venues have seen significant extra web traffic and increased room and restaurant bookings.

Chris added: “One of the most significant changes we made was making it far easier for web visitors to book a room. Previously they had to navigate to a specific booking page. However, we added a ‘book now’ button on every page.

“The real secret to improved website conversions is to make the process simpler. Some people think more Flash and whiz bang makes a site better. It doesn’t.

“Effectively we took what is already a superb product and did more to shout about it on the website. We helped celebrate aspects of the hotel which customers are passionate about, but which were not previously included on the website.

“For instance, Tigerlily is legendary for its breakfasts, yet they weren’t mentioned. Likewise, the hotel typically gets excellent guest ratings on TripAdvisor, so we have made sure those are now being pulled into the site.

“We also worked closely with the web designers from the Touch Agency. They were delighted we were recommending use of much bigger and better photographs, because that’s exactly what they prefer.”

Because the site is now far more geared to the needs of guests and customers not only has the traffic increased, but visitors spend longer on the site, look at more pages and are more likely to book rooms, or restaurant sittings.

Another satisfied customer

David Johnston, Development Director with Montpeliers, is delighted with the results. QueryClick’s advice was also crucial in the new booking software adopted by Montpeliers.

He added: “I spent months looking into web and search optimisation and held off until I was satisfied I had found people who would give absolute transparency and earn my trust by speaking in a language I could understand.

“Not only did QueryClick do that, but they also worked extremely well with our design team and their straight talking and advice was actually very inspirational.

“Our bookings are up around 20%, our occupancy is around 85% and while that has been down to our effort across many fronts, there is no doubt at all that QueryClick have played a very significant role in that.”

In just two years QueryClick has developed into a fast-growing, £500,000-a-year business with clients including Aggreko, Mint Hotels and BrewDog.

Press release issued on behalf of Query Click by public relations agency Holyrood PR.