Embarking on a memorable journey means uncovering hidden gems, indulging in local cuisine, and immersing yourself in the vibrant spirit of a destination. But how can you make the most of your stay when you’re faced with an overwhelming abundance of options?

The Story

In September, my girlfriend and I are planning to travel somewhere. To find affordable flights, we browsed through skyscanner.com and came across reasonably priced round-trip tickets to Rome. After finalizing the dates, we turned to Booking or Airbnb to search for suitable accommodations.

Things we consider in our choice:

• Price

• Location

• Things to do or specifically: where to eat local cuisine(often asking the host), preferably nearby.

But before we book the accommodation, we go on a search for what to see and which places to visit.

Why do I need to leave Booking to discover hidden gems in Rome? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to receive recommendations alongside booking my accommodation?

Current Flow

Through conversations with our friends, it was surprising to discover that after booking through a platform, we all tend to read blogs and watch videos about the top places to eat, drink, and visit.

Mostly, people look forward to food while traveling, and I can confidently say that it's the one thing that they prioritize the most.

Visual flow:

✈️ Skyscanner

🔎 Booking, Airbnb, Hotels.com,…

🍔 Google, Youtube, Tripadvisor, Blogs, Asking friends,…. or just one place? “Near you, recommended by host”.

🛏️ Back to the accommodations site

The Goal

Motivate users to book accommodation through Booking by offering them a “Mini pack” of what to visit and where to eat.

Imagine if I book the hotel or apartment there, on my email, I would get a mini-doc with the name of the place, Google map link, and why to visit it.

I assumed it would be worth visiting because it was a suggestion from a local host, and local people only visit places with a price = value at the point.

Example:

• Top pizza 🍕: Piccolo Buco (https://www.googlemapslinks.com/)

• A great market to grab fresh fruit 🍉: Mercato dell’Unità (https://www.googlemapslinks.com/)

• Best wine place in Rome 🍷: Vinaietto — Old Winery (https://www.googlemapslinks.com/)

How to Achieve That?

Placing a block of host recommendations (top 3) with pictures into a Single property view with call-to-action: Book now and receive a mini guide by a local host for all of the favorite local places, including restaurants, markets, bars, etc.

After booking, send a mini note in an email that the user can save and use when visiting Rome.

Competitive advantage ✅

An incentive to book ✅

Solution

Displaying the block after the pricing table with the first three suggestions from the host guide.

Visually attract the user to develop interest and anticipate something in his email that would be valuable to him. After seeing those three things, I would definitely want to know what the host recommended besides that.

Scroll down the page.

Feel free to give feedback, and please press "L" if you like it ❤️ Enjoy!