The problem
The client was bleeding money to Booking.com and Airbnb. Every reservation meant 15-20% commission.
But the bigger issue was trust.
The client needed an owned online presence that would:
- Prove the property exists and is legitimate
- Capture direct bookings (bypassing portal commissions)
Constraints
This wasn't a typical UX project with proper research and testing phases. I had:
- 2 weeks total (from kickoff to launch)
- Limited budget
- No time for full UX process (no user interviews, no usability testing)
I had to find a way to make informed design decisions fast.
Approach
Without time for user research, I used competitive analysis as my research method.
I analyzed 11 local vacation rental websites in Poland to understand what guests would expect and what the competition was doing wrong. I didn't need to reinvent vacation rental websites. I needed to execute the basics well and do it fast.
The bar was surprisingly low.
Execution
I built the site in custom code rather than using a template or page builder. This gave me full control over performance and mobile responsiveness - critical for fast loading and trust.
No handoff to developers meant I could iterate quickly and fix issues in real-time during testing.
Results
Business impact:
- Property now ranks in Google searches for brand name
- Owner reports increase in booking inquiries (direct bookings vs. portal-only)
- Eliminated "does this place exist?" concern - guests can verify before booking
- Reduced dependency on Booking.com/Airbnb commissions
What I learned
Not every project allows for a full UX process. This one required speed and pragmatism over perfection. I delivered a functional website that solved the client's core problem - credibility that converts portal browsers into direct bookers.
Competitive analysis isn't a replacement for user research. But with proper UX research, I could have validated assumptions about what builds trust for vacation rental guests. But in this case, following established patterns and focusing on execution quality was the right call.
For a 2-week project with clear constraints, this approach worked. The client got a professional web presence that solved their immediate problem and started generating direct bookings.
Live site:
