Hotel chains spend millions of pounds developing their customer-facing websites to make sure that it’s as easy as possible to navigate, check availability and book rooms (Travelodge spent over £1million on their last major revamp in 2008).

Having a balance of quality visual design and ease of use is vital to companies who can rely on their website for over approximately 75% of their sales (again, Travelodge).

Here we take a visual look at 10 of the UK’s hotel-chain websites, some with a brief summary of each site’s features and differences, from the very biggest in the business to the smaller chains you may have never heard of!

We have intentionally left out large chains such as Marriott, Hilton and ICHotelsgroup, to explore smaller chains and how they present themselves online.

Travelodge

Officially the 46th biggest online e-retailer in the UK (as of February 2010, Hitwise report), Travelodge’s award-winning website is as you would expect, slick, well designed and easy to use. It heavily pushes it’s £19 rooms, even if they are hard to find on certain dates.

Premier Inn

The UK’s biggest hotel chain, and one of the biggest websites with in excess of 45,000 unique visitors per day. Well-designed if a little functional, the website includes Premier Inn offers to tempt their customers with two for one deals on attractions near their hotels.

Malmaison

The biggest boutique chain around (also owning Hotel du Vin), Malmaison offer unparalled style and class, with a celebrity client list to match. Their website is smart, sexy and edgy for a chain, with fantastic photography and nice use of typography. Unusually for a chain all Malmaison hotels offer locally sourced food options and offer accommodation for dogs for an extra tenner for the entire stay.

Peel Hotels

Function over beauty with this website for a nine-strong hotel group of 4-star establishments founded by Robert Peel, former Chief Executive of Thistle Hotels. This site is easy to use with a clear and simple booking process.

Exclusive Hotels

Slick rich design from Exclusive Hotels, a luxury chain based in the south-east. Good use of flash.

Maybourne Hotel Group

Outside London, you have probably never heard of them, but the Maybourne Hotel Group own and run three of London’s finest hotels, including the world famous Claridges, with a website to match the venues’ opulence, whilst keeping an intimate small-group feel.

Barceló

Barceló operate 21 4-star hotels in the UK. The website is standard fare, very functional and business-like but not too much to get excited about.

Brend Hotels

Brend Hotels are the largest hotel group in the South-West.

Morgan Hotels Group

Another boutique chain, this time with a very international feel, with two hotels in central London.

Dakota Hotels

Award Scotland’s most stylish hotel by the Scottish Style Awards, Dakota’s hotels in Glasgow and Edinburgh present themselves as a unique hotel proposition. Click the image to check it out yourself.