The verdict in three sentences
In Lausanne, a boutique hotel website built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, between 12 000 and 40 000 CHF, and more when the agency also produces photos and video. Kolonell builds the room pages, integrates the booking engine you already use and adds restaurant, meetings or wellness pages at a fixed price: 2 700, 4 500 or 8 200 CHF, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks for Starter and Growth. The serious comparison is the total three-year cost and the site's ability to win bookings back from the platforms, bearing in mind that with Kolonell the on-site shoot remains the hotel's responsibility.
This version is written for the English-speaking owners and managers of boutique hotels in Lausanne.
What do Lausanne agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?
The ranges below are cautious orders of magnitude, not official rates. They draw on public price grids from agencies in French-speaking Switzerland, minimum project sizes shown on Clutch.co agency profiles, hourly rates commonly published by Swiss digital agencies (often 120 to 200 CHF an hour) and rates visible on Malt or Upwork. Scope can triple the price: number of room types, languages, integrations and image production.
| Criterion | Lausanne agency | Local freelancer | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build, 2026 order of magnitude | 12 000 to 40 000 CHF and up | 3 500 to 10 000 CHF | 2 700 / 4 500 / 8 200 CHF, fixed price |
| Hourly rate for changes | Often 120 to 200 CHF | Often 80 to 130 CHF | Additions quoted before work starts |
| Usual timeline | 8 to 14 weeks | 5 to 10 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 |
| On-site photos and video | Often offered as an option | Sometimes through a partner | No: the hotel books a local photographer |
| Room and offer copy | Often billed separately | Rarely included | Native English or French copywriting included |
| Support after launch | Separate maintenance contract | Case by case | 3 months, 6 with Premium |
| Ownership | Check the contract | Check the contract | Domain in your name, all access handed over |
Payment is by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % on delivery. A project manager works in your time zone, with Google Meet calls set around front desk hours and a written update every week. The team works from Senegal (GMT), which means one hour behind Lausanne in winter and two in summer. Full package details are in our international website offer.
What is the total three-year cost, booking engine included?
A hotel pays for more than the build. The booking engine, the channel manager, hosting, maintenance and seasonal offer updates weigh just as much over three years. Kolonell integrates the engine the hotel has chosen and does not supply it, so that subscription appears identically in both columns. Because Kolonell quotes maintenance after the support period on request, we use the same assumption on both sides.
| Item over 36 months | Lausanne agency (mid-range) | Kolonell Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Website build | 22 000 CHF | 4 500 CHF |
| Booking engine (assumed 150 CHF per month) | 5 400 CHF | 5 400 CHF |
| Maintenance (same assumption, 150 CHF over 33 months) | 4 950 CHF | 4 950 CHF, quoted on request |
| Room and restaurant shoot | 2 500 CHF as an option | 2 500 CHF, local photographer |
| Seasonal offers and new pages | 1 500 CHF | Quoted before work, assumed 1 000 CHF |
| Indicative total | 36 350 CHF | 18 350 CHF |
These amounts structure the comparison; they do not predict your invoice. Engine pricing depends on the vendor: some charge a monthly subscription, others a commission per booking, so check before signing.
What does each package include for a boutique hotel?
| Item | Starter 2 700 CHF | Growth 4 500 CHF | Premium 8 200 CHF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room pages | Accommodation page with room types | One page per room type or suite | Detailed pages, layouts and amenities |
| Booking engine | Button to your engine | Embedded availability widget | Careful integration on every room page |
| Restaurant, bar, spa | One section | Dedicated pages, menu and hours | Dedicated pages and package offers |
| Meetings and weddings | Contact form | Page and enquiry form | Pages per event type |
| Bilingual FR/EN version | No | No | Included |
| Timeline | 3 to 4 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks | Written schedule at kickoff, usually 4 to 6 weeks |
| Support after launch | 3 months | 3 months | 6 months |
The German version, often useful for Swiss German guests, is supplied by the hotel or quoted separately. A guest account area, a custom gift voucher module or purpose-built table booking count as custom applications, quoted on request. Ongoing SEO is also quoted on request.
What does a Lausanne boutique hotel need online?
Lausanne draws a very mixed clientele. On weekdays, international sports federations and the IOC, EPFL, UNIL, the CHUV and conferences bring business travellers who book late, often from their phone. At weekends, visitors come for Ouchy, the lake, the Lavaux vineyards or a concert in Montreux. Parents of EHL and university students book months ahead for graduation ceremonies. The site therefore needs to:
- Show each room honestly: size, lake or city view, bed type, accessibility, with recent photos taken on site.
- Make direct booking obvious: a visible button on mobile, live availability, clear cancellation terms.
- Explain access: the M2 metro, the station, parking, travel time to Beaulieu or the campus.
- Mention stay benefits, such as the public transport card given to guests staying in Lausanne accommodation (conditions to confirm with Lausanne Tourisme).
- Serve companies: negotiated rates on request, meeting rooms, invoices in the company's name.
On compliance, let's stay factual. Switzerland's revised data protection act (nFADP) has applied since 1 September 2023 to guest data collected by the site (forms, analytics cookies). The GDPR may also apply if the hotel actively targets guests in the European Union. Card data is handled by the PCI DSS certified booking engine, never by the site itself. Since December 2022, the Swiss Federal Act against Unfair Competition has barred booking platforms from imposing rate parity clauses on Swiss hotels, which allows a better direct price. This is not legal advice.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Which warning signs should you look for in a quote?
- An agency-owned booking engine you cannot leave without rebuilding the site.
- Domain or hosting account in the provider's name.
- A lump-sum price with no list of pages, languages and integrations.
- Stock photo galleries instead of your real rooms.
- No mention of measuring direct bookings: without tracking clicks to the engine, you cannot judge the site.
- Mandatory 36-month maintenance with no way to take back control.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Sophie M., manager of a 22-room hotel near Ouchy, receives two proposals. A Lausanne agency quotes 24 000 CHF with delivery in 12 weeks. Kolonell offers Growth at 4 500 CHF, delivered in 4 weeks, with a Lausanne photographer booked separately for 2 500 CHF. The build gap: 17 000 CHF (24 000 versus 7 000 CHF including photos, assuming the agency includes the shoot).
Sophie then works out the commercial stake. If 120 bookings a year move from a platform to the direct site, with an average basket of 480 CHF and an assumed 18 % commission, the hotel saves 86.40 CHF per booking, or 10 368 CHF a year. That gain is the same whichever provider she picks: it depends on the photos, the direct price and the engine. She chooses Kolonell and keeps the local agency in mind for a future presentation film shot on site.
FAQ
How much does a boutique hotel website cost in Lausanne in 2026?
With a local agency, expect roughly 12 000 to 40 000 CHF depending on the number of rooms, languages and integrations. Kolonell offers 2 700, 4 500 or 8 200 CHF at a fixed price, excluding the booking engine and photos.
Does Kolonell supply the booking engine?
No. We integrate the engine the hotel has chosen, and its monthly subscription or commission is paid directly to the vendor. Integration as a widget is included from Growth at 4 500 CHF.
Who takes care of the room photos?
The hotel supplies its photos or books a Lausanne photographer, often 1 500 to 3 000 CHF a day as an order of magnitude. Kolonell does not travel on site and prepares a shot list for the session.
Can the site be in French, English and German?
A bilingual French and English site is included in Premium at 8 200 CHF. German is supplied by the hotel or quoted separately before kickoff.
How long does it take to go live?
Starter and Growth are delivered in 3 to 4 weeks, Premium on a written schedule, usually 4 to 6 weeks. Launching before the summer high season therefore means starting by April at the latest.
Let's scope your project. Send us your list of room types, the name of your booking engine and your current photos, and we will reply with a fixed-price package deliverable in 3 to 4 weeks. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
