With tablet usage on the rise and guests demanding more rich media content, the hotel brand rolls out new website and other online enhancements.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has officially unveiled the first phase in a multi-stage digital platform redesign that will influence and enhance all of the brand's online environments including Fairmont.com, EveryonesAnOriginal.com, a new tablet and mobile optimized platform, multi-lingual micro-sites and more. The multi-stage, multi-platform redesign will also see greater integration of the Fairmont's social media sites and the adoption of a new web analytics solution that will allow the brand to continue to create the best online hotel experience on the web.

The e-commerce project underpins Fairmont's promise to deliver the richest hotel content online in environments that are user-friendly, seamless and efficient. "For consumers, the internet now serves as the most essential tool to research, book and share their travel experiences, so we want to be the easiest hotel brand to do business with online," said Brian Richardson, vice president, brand marketing and communications. "While our customers have always been comfortable engaging with us on the web, they're increasingly spending more time on our digital sites and telling us that convenience and content are of the utmost importance in the online space. Likewise, how they're interacting with us online is also evolving as we've seen tablet usage increase by more than 300% this year. Whatever their needs are, we're committed to serving our guests in every way possible and strongly feel the recent updates and future enhancements will be appreciated by our customers around the globe."

The most noticeable upgrade is the revitalized Fairmont.com site which sports a dynamic new look that is both clean and compelling. In addition to improved navigation, visitors to Fairmont.com will now find larger visuals, user-submitted photography, high definition hotel videos, a greater selection of interactive maps, and links to brand and hotel specific social feeds. From an online booking perspective, guests will also have the ability to "Enhance Their Stay" with a wide selection of add-ons and amenities aimed at further personalizing their visit. Options range from basic services like breakfast or valet parking to more elaborate extras such as a safari outing or hot air balloon ride.

With the brand's research showing an influx of traffic from mobile devices and tablets, Fairmont.com was also redesigned to be fully compatible with iPads and other tablet devices. For example, all photo galleries, virtual tours, videos, banners and maps are touch enabled and optimized for mobile devices. In the coming months, the luxury hotel brand, known for its iconic hotels like The Savoy in London, The Fairmont San Francisco, and Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, will also roll out further enhancements to its mobile optimized website and upgrades to its iPhone application.

"We're already seeing positive results from the platform upgrades as engagement metrics and task completion stats are trending higher than normal," adds Michael Innocentin, the company's Director of Internet Marketing. "And while the site has only been live for a short period, page views and time spent on the site have both grown and conversion rates are up by more than 8 percent as well."

Top social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Fairmont's own community platform were also top of mind as part of the enhancements. Hotel level accounts were integrated into the new site to fully leverage and share unique and engaging content posted to property level social feeds, while at the same time photos and stories from past guest visits are now being pulled directly from EveryonesAnOriginal.com, the brand's online community portal, into the Fairmont.com site.

"Who better to help market our distinctive hotel collection than our own guests? They stayed with us, enjoyed their visit and want to show and also tell others about it," says Richardson. "Also, by adding in our social media feeds, we're able to get additional content into guests' hands and can provide them with a better perspective of the personalities and unique characteristics that define each and everyone one of our properties."

Over the course of the next six months, Fairmont will embark on additional digital upgrades including a complete rebuild of its multi-lingual websites, the addition of new mobile web and app features, and a redesign of EveryonesAnOriginal.com.