The verdict in three sentences
In Basel, local agencies typically quote CHF 18,000 to 45,000 to redesign a boutique hotel website, while Kolonell's fixed grid offers CHF 4,500 (Growth) or CHF 8,200 (Premium, the multilingual tier), with the booking engine, channel manager and PMS kept on quote. Over 3 years, patching an old theme, especially when the property runs two sites, often costs more than a redesign, and the booking engine's template site is only cheap if you accept its limits. The one non-negotiable timing rule: never go live around Art Basel in June.
Patch, template site or redesign: what does each cost over 3 years?
A property in the Old Town, Kleinbasel or near the trade fair grounds hosts pharma business travellers, fair visitors and cultural tourists, in German, English and French. The usual redesign signals: a theme no longer updated, languages out of sync, a heavy mobile gallery, PDF menus, and sometimes two separate sites after an annex opened.
Comparison over 36 months using median values. Hosting and maintenance amounts are market assumptions, not Kolonell prices. Booking engine re-embedding is excluded throughout.
| Option | Year 1 | Hosting and maintenance over 36 months (market assumption) | Other costs, years 2 and 3 | 3-year total | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patch the old theme (two sites) | CHF 6,000 | CHF 10,800 (2 sites x CHF 150 x 36) | CHF 6,000 of fixes | CHF 22,800 | Technical debt, two codebases to secure |
| Booking engine template site | CHF 1,500 | CHF 7,200 (subscription CHF 200 x 36) | CHF 0 | CHF 8,700 | Fixed design, imposed URLs, little SEO control |
| Redesign with a Basel agency | CHF 30,000 | CHF 9,000 (CHF 250 x 36) | CHF 0 | CHF 39,000 | 10 to 16 week timeline |
| Kolonell Premium | CHF 8,200 | CHF 6,600 (CHF 200 x 33, market assumption; Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months on quote) | CHF 0 | CHF 14,800 | Engine and integrations on quote |
The template site remains the cheapest option on paper. It suits a small property that accepts a standard presentation; it suits a hotel poorly if it wants well-structured, indexed room, offer and meeting pages on its own domain.
What do Basel providers charge for the redesign itself?
2026 ballpark figures, based on public rate pages of local agencies and typical agency quotes.
| Provider | 2026 redesign | Languages | Stated timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basel freelancer | CHF 5,000 to 15,000 | German, English often partial | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Basel agency, focused redesign | CHF 18,000 to 30,000 | German and English | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Basel agency, redesign with branding | CHF 30,000 to 45,000 | German, English, French | 12 to 16 weeks |
| Kolonell Starter | CHF 2,700 | One language | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Growth | CHF 4,500 | One language | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Premium | CHF 8,200 | The multilingual tier, languages set in the quote | 3 to 4 weeks |
Every tier includes a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready, and 3 months of support. A native German proofread or a photographer are third-party costs. Ongoing search work is on quote. Tier details on the international offer.
When to switch over, between Art Basel, the trade fairs and Fasnacht?
| Period | Basel context | Go live? |
|---|---|---|
| January | After the holidays, quieter activity | Good window |
| February to March | Fasnacht, three days of heavy crowds | Avoid that week |
| April to May | Trade fairs and Art Basel preparation | Possible in early April |
| June | Art Basel, the year's peak | Never |
| July to August | Tourist season | Not advised |
| September to early October | Business travel returns | Possible, outside major fairs |
| Late October to November | Herbstmesse | Check the fair calendar |
Kolonell's sequence: week 0, URL inventory and 301 map; weeks 1 and 2, design and build; week 3, engine re-embedded in test; week 4, compliance read-through and go-live, followed by 6 weeks of Search Console monitoring.
Risks, items on quote, questions, and when a Basel agency fits better
Merging two sites. Every URL on the annex's old site must 301 to its equivalent page; the old domain stays live and redirected for at least 12 months. Your Google Business Profile and hotel listings then show a single, consistent web address.
Booking journey. Dates and guests visible from the first step, total price including taxes and fees as consumer rules require, payment only inside the engine. OTA contracts and rate parity are your own commercial decisions.
Accessibility and performance. Aim for WCAG 2.2 AA (alt text, contrast, keyboard use of the date picker as far as the engine allows), factual accessible-room pages, images in WebP/AVIF with lazy loading.
Compliance. The revised Federal Act on Data Protection (nLPD/revFADP, in force since 1 September 2023) applies, supervised by the FDPIC; the GDPR may also apply for EU guests, of whom Basel sees many. Minimal forms, no passport or card data. Menus in HTML, allergens checked by the kitchen. State a classification only if officially held, never invent reviews. This is not legal advice.
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On quote: booking engine, channel manager, PMS, table booking, gift vouchers, corporate portal for pharma clients. Questions to ask: who merges the two URL inventories? Who tests the engine? What does maintenance cost after the 3 months (at Kolonell, on quote)?
A Basel agency is preferable if you want copy written natively in German by a local writer, weekly on-site meetings, or a photo campaign refreshed every season.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Hotel Kleeblatt in Kleinbasel opened an annex two years ago. It still runs two sites: 70 URLs for the main house, 35 for the annex.
- 301 map: 105 URLs merged onto a single domain, old domain redirected.
- Kolonell Premium, the multilingual tier (German, English and French set in the quote): CHF 8,200.
- Local photographer for the annex, third-party cost: about CHF 2,200.
- Booking engine re-embedding: on quote.
Known budget: 8,200 + 2,200 = CHF 10,400. Over 3 years, with a market assumption of CHF 200 a month for 33 months (Kolonell maintenance after the 3 included months on quote), the total reaches 10,400 + 6,600 = CHF 17,000, against CHF 22,800 to keep patching two sites. Switchover planned for mid-January.
FAQ
How much does a boutique hotel website redesign cost in Basel?
As a 2026 ballpark, CHF 18,000 to 45,000 with a local agency. Kolonell offers CHF 2,700, 4,500 or 8,200 depending on the tier, engine on quote.
Is the booking engine's template site enough?
For a very small property, perhaps: about CHF 8,700 over 3 years on our assumptions. You then accept a fixed design and URLs imposed by the vendor.
How do you merge two sites without losing visibility?
Inventory both sites, build a full 301 map (105 URLs in our illustrative case), keep the old domain redirected for 12 months, then monitor Search Console for 6 weeks.
When should a Basel hotel go live?
Never in June because of Art Basel, nor during Fasnacht. January or early April are calmer windows.
Which languages should we plan for?
German, English and often French: that is the Premium tier at CHF 8,200, languages set in the quote. A native German proofread is a third-party cost.
Let's scope your project. Merging two hotel sites onto one trilingual domain, Premium at CHF 8,200, engine re-embedded on quote, delivered in 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
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.
