CASE STUDY : Matsui Honkan

Insight

Matsui Honkan is a traditional ryokan located in the heart of Kyoto, offering an authentic Japanese hospitality experience with tatami rooms, seasonal kaiseki cuisine, and public baths. Established over a century ago, it has built a strong reputation among travelers seeking a carefully crafted and genuinely authentic stay.

Despite the high quality of the experience offered at Matsui Honkan, the website does not fully convey the ryokan’s unique atmosphere, and its overall structure could be improved to better guide users through exploring the property and the booking process.

Challenge

How can Matsui Honkan’s website be redesigned to better reflect the ryokan’s unique atmosphere while providing a clearer and more intuitive user journey from discovery to booking ?

Gaining insights is an essential first step enabling a better understanding of Matsui Honkan’s audience and offerings.

Reviewing the website reveals areas where the user experience can be strengthened and the ryokan’s offerings better communicated.

A more spacious layout, structured into clearly defined sections, allows greater emphasis on the ryokan’s services while allowing visual content to be showcased to convey the atmosphere and identity of the place.

Particular attention was given to redesigning the original map in order to emphasize the ryokan’s location as a key selling point.

The color palette and patterns were directly inspired by the materials and decorative elements found within the hotel, reinforcing the visual identity and enhancing immersion throughout the website.

Outcome

This proposal aims to highlight Matsui Honkan’s offerings by emphasizing the traditional character of the ryokan through a design inspired by the hotel’s motifs, color palette, and its unique location in Kyoto.

Impact

The experience is built around an intuitive user journey, allowing visitors to easily discover the ryokan’s amenities while being naturally guided toward action through clearly placed calls to action, with the booking process kept within immediate reach.

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