Industry

Hospitality

Client

Premier-Inn

Years

2025 - Current

Device

iOS, Android, Kiosk

Evolving the digital guest experience

I contributed to transforming Premier Inn’s booking and arrival experience into a more cohesive booking-to-arrival experience across app and kiosk, working across key features that supported app adoption and simplified the guest experience.

Product strategy

UX/UI

Cross-Platform Design

User validation

Prototyping

Stakeholder collaboration

Design system

The context

The challenge, scope and my role

The client

Premier Inn is a British hotel chain owned by Whitbread PLC, offering comfortable, good-value stays across hundreds of hotels in the UK, Ireland and Germany.

The goal

“Premier Inn’s goal was to drive more traffic to the mobile app by improving the overall guest journey from booking through arrival.”

The Problem

The app wasn’t yet the natural choice for the full guest journey.

While guests used the app, many still relied on the website at key moments, from completing a booking to managing their stay.

User insights

Sometimes reception is busy. I’d rather just check in myself.

I wasn’t sure what to do at the kiosk the first time.

If I’m unsure, I’d rather speak to someone than use the kiosk.

I might browse on my phone but I prefer to make a booking on my laptop.

Sometimes reception is busy. I’d rather just check in myself.

The Challenge

How could we make the app a more compelling choice?

Understand what was driving guests back to the web and remove the gaps and friction that prevented them from completing more of their journey in the app.

Business goals

Create a connected journey from search to arrival.

Increase booking confidence

Give guests clearer pricing and more flexibility when choosing a stay

Drive app adoption

Encourage app-first behaviour through incentives and a more complete booking experience

Reduce friction at arrival

Enable faster, self-service check-in across mobile and kiosk

Support digital access

Introduce Digital Key to simplify room access and reduce reliance on physical

Ensure cross-platform consistency

Align app and kiosk experiences while working alongside the web team

My role

Shaping the end-to-end guest journey across app and kiosk, from search to arrival.

User insights:

Real feedback from guests highlighted key friction points and how the experience improved.

Checking in feels much faster and easier now.

Location is important to me. I love the map view in the app.

The app makes it simpler to manage my stay.

Everything feels more connected between the app and kiosk.

Testing this feature out make me want to download the app.

Understanding the Journey

Understanding guests, behaviours, needs and pain points

Identifying the journey

Seeing the experience as one connected journey

Key moments - Where guests need information, reassurance or action.

Points of friction - Where complexity could interrupt the journey.

Digital opportunities - Where app and self-service could make the experience easier.

Understanding the
users

One journey, different needs

Different contexts - Business, family, solo and international guests can experience the same journey differently.

Different priorities - Needs can shift from speed and flexibility to reassurance, convenience and support.

Inclusive needs - Accessibility, language and digital confidence can shape any guest’s experience.

Clarity · Flexibility · Reassurance · Control

Different guests have different priorities, but the expectation is the same: a simple and seamless journey from booking to arrival.

Design strategy

Turning the guest journey into one connected experience

Choose the app → Find confidently → Book confidently → Stay in control → Prepare before arrival → Arrive seamlessly

4.Designing the experience

What we learned helped us step back from individual features and look at the experience as a whole, focusing the work around the key moments in the guest journey.

App adoption & promtion

Creating more reasons to choose the app

Before improving the core journey, we also explored how promotions and app-exclusive incentives could encourage more guests to move from web to app — particularly around first-time booking.

First-Time Booking Incentives

Encouraged first-time app bookings with targeted offers built naturally into the journey.

Promotions & Voucher Redemption

Made promotional offers easier to redeem without disrupting the booking flow.

Search, book and manage

Making the app useful throughout the journey

I designed key journeys across search, booking and managing a stay, helping guests find the right option and stay in control from one place.

Flexible Search & Pricing

Helped guests explore dates and prices more flexibly, making it easier to compare options and find the right stay.

Arrival Experience

Making arrival feel effortless

I designed a connected arrival experience across online check-in, Digital Key and self-service kiosks — helping guests prepare, check in and access their room with less friction.

Check-in online

Complete check-in before arrival, reducing steps at the hotel.

Digital Key

Access the room directly from a phone for a smoother arrival.

Kiosk check-in

A quick self-service option for guests who prefer to check in at the hotel.

Each project solves a different kind of problem. You can explore more of my work, process, and thinking below.

Hospitality

Premier-Inn

2025 - Current

iOS, Android, Kiosk

Evolving the digital guest experience

I contributed to transforming Premier Inn’s booking and arrival experience into a more cohesive booking-to-arrival experience across app and kiosk, working across key features that supported app adoption and simplified the guest experience.

The context

The challenge, scope and my role

The client

Premier Inn is a British hotel chain owned by Whitbread PLC, offering comfortable, good-value stays across hundreds of hotels in the UK, Ireland and Germany.

The goal

“Premier Inn’s goal was to drive more traffic to the mobile app by improving the overall guest journey from booking through arrival.”

“Premier Inn’s goal was to drive more traffic to the mobile app by improving the overall guest journey from booking through arrival.”

The Problem

The app wasn’t yet the natural choice for the full guest journey.

While guests used the app, many still relied on the website at key moments, from completing a booking to managing their stay.

While guests used the app, many still relied on the website at key moments, from completing a booking to managing their stay.

User insights

The Challenge

How could we make the app a more compelling choice?

Understand what was driving guests back to the web and remove the gaps and friction that prevented them from completing more of their journey in the app.

Understand what was driving guests back to the web and remove the gaps and friction that prevented them from completing more of their journey in the app.

Business goals

Business goals

Create a connected journey from search to arrival.

Increase booking confidence

Increase booking confidence

Give guests clearer pricing and more flexibility when choosing a stay

Give guests clearer pricing and more flexibility when choosing a stay

Drive app adoption

Drive app adoption

Encourage app-first behaviour through incentives and a more complete booking experience

Encourage app-first behaviour through incentives and a more complete booking experience

Reduce friction at arrival

Reduce friction at arrival

Enable faster, self-service check-in across mobile and kiosk

Enable faster, self-service check-in across mobile and kiosk

Support digital access

Support digital access

Introduce Digital Key to simplify room access and reduce reliance on physical

Introduce Digital Key to simplify room access and reduce reliance on physical

Ensure cross-platform consistency

Ensure cross-platform consistency

Align app and kiosk experiences while working alongside the web team

Align app and kiosk experiences while working alongside the web team

My role

Shaping the end-to-end guest journey across app and kiosk, from search to arrival.

User insights:

Real feedback from guests highlighted key friction points and how the experience improved.

Understanding the Journey

Understanding guests, behaviours, needs and pain points

Identifying the journey

Seeing the experience as one connected journey

Key moments - Where guests need information, reassurance or action.

Points of friction - Where complexity could interrupt the journey.

Digital opportunities - Where app and self-service could make the experience easier.

Understanding the users

One journey, different needs

Different contexts - Business, family, solo and international guests can experience the same journey differently.

Different priorities - Needs can shift from speed and flexibility to reassurance, convenience and support.

Inclusive needs - Accessibility, language and digital confidence can shape any guest’s experience.

Clarity · Flexibility · Reassurance · Control

Different guests have different priorities, but the expectation is the same: a simple and seamless journey from booking to arrival.

Design strategy

Turning the guest journey into one connected experience

4.Designing the experience

What we learned helped us step back from individual features and look at the experience as a whole, focusing the work around the key moments in the guest journey.

App adoption & promtion

App adoption & promtion

Creating more reasons to choose the app

Creating more reasons to choose the app

Creating more reasons to choose the app

Before improving the core journey, we also explored how promotions and app-exclusive incentives could encourage more guests to move from web to app — particularly around first-time booking.

First-Time Booking Incentives

Encouraged first-time app bookings with targeted offers built naturally into the journey.

Promotions & Voucher Redemption

Made promotional offers easier to redeem without disrupting the booking flow.

Search, book and manage

Search, book and manage

Making the app useful throughout the journey

Understanding the
users