On an individual property listing, EuroCheapo’s own review gets pride of place, but in the right rail of the site the TripAdvisor average rating is now available, too.
Simply running photos bigger created an impression that the photos were better, according to Jetsetter user surveys, even though the photos were identical to ones that had been run small on similar sites like TripAdvisor. Other sites, such as Airbnb, have cottoned on to the visual design.
Plus, there’s a dark-colored box at the bottom of the page for the company’s “About” information and links to the brand’s social media accounts.
“From improved maps to better hotel search results, this launch is a monster leap forward for our brand,” said Tom Meyers, the company’s founder and editor-in-chief, in a press statement.
The site has kept its niche market focus on leisure travelers looking for inexpensive hotels, pensions, B&Bs and hostels in pricey cities. EuroCheapo does not charge hotels to be listed.
Part of the site’s value add for users has been to produce the relevant information for trip planning, such as tips on public transportation, museum passes, budget airlines, and cheap eats.
The content adds to the site’s sense of authority in judging the hotels, re-inforces its brand voice, and also helps with search engine optimization.
In the past year, EuroCheapo has been featured in the New York Times and other US media outlets. Its redesign has the potential to enhance its profile even further.
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About Sean O'Neill
EuroCheapo did a good job reworking their site. Interaction designer Troy Seeborn and I tried out the site using a typical Paris hotel search scenario.
The design emphasis is on reducing user search complexity. Results are sorted by default according to the “CheapoFactor,” a customer value function of price, expert editor judgment, user ratings and distance. This one-size-fits-all function will not necessarily surface the best match for a given user. However, users will find it easy to manipulate “filters” and sort order to surface the results that are most pertinent to them.
We found a lot to like about the site as well as some shortcomings that could be improved. We liked the simple clean visual design of the site and the easy-to-read search results list. If you are a value-conscious traveler looking to travel to Europe, EuroCheapo is worth visiting.
Our full report, with pros and cons, is here: http://tct.re/OG6t0A
[Disclaimer: I work for Expedia, but this post is my own opinion.]
Thanks for the comment, Thomas. You nailed every one of the design and UX improvements that Eurocheapo added.
Best,
Sean
@Thomas –
Your analysis of our relaunch and suggestions for future product improvements was spot on. Expedia’s lucky to have you on board.
Pete Meyers
EuroCheapo.com