The verdict in three sentences
Redesigning a boutique hotel website in Dublin typically costs €10,000 to €40,000 with an Irish agency in 2026, while Kolonell's fixed grid is €2,700, €4,500 or €8,200, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks once photography, room descriptions and rates logic are ready. The business case rests on direct bookings: every reservation moved from an online travel agency to your own booking engine keeps the commission in the hotel. The risks worth planning for are a broken booking engine handover, lost rankings on room and neighbourhood pages, and accessibility gaps now that the European Accessibility Act applies to certain booking services.
Which signals say the hotel site needs a redesign?
A 20 to 120 room property in Ballsbridge, around Merrion Square, in Temple Bar or in the Docklands sells to American, British and continental European guests who compare three tabs at once: your site, an OTA listing and a map. Your site loses that comparison when:
- the "Book now" button sends guests to an engine that looks like a different brand;
- room pages lack sizes, bed types and real photos, so guests check the OTA for detail;
- total price with taxes and any fees only appears at the last step;
- the site has no clear offer for direct bookers (flexible cancellation, breakfast, late checkout);
- meeting rooms, weddings or long stays are buried in a PDF;
- the cookie banner loads tracking before consent.
What does a redesign cost in Dublin in 2026?
The ranges below are a 2026 ballpark from typical Irish agency quotes and public rate pages, not a survey. Booking engine and channel manager fees are separate and paid to those vendors.
| Option | Typical scope | 2026 ballpark (EUR) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer, theme based | 8 to 12 pages, booking engine link | 3,000 to 8,000 | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Dublin hospitality studio | Custom design, rooms, offers, events | 10,000 to 22,000 | 8 to 14 weeks |
| Full service agency | Brand, photography, multi-language, CRM | 22,000 to 40,000+ | 14 to 24 weeks |
| Kolonell Starter | Up to 5 pages, native English copy | 2,700 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Growth | Room pages, offers, blog, analytics | 4,500 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Kolonell Premium | Multilingual tier, advanced SEO structure | 8,200 | 3 to 4 weeks |
Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable on Irish hours, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. Booking engine and channel manager integration beyond a standard link or widget, rate display connected to live inventory, gift voucher shops and ongoing search work are on quote. A professional hotel photographer is a third-party cost you commission locally. French, German or Spanish pages for continental guests mean Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote). Details on the international offer.
How much does a better direct booking share actually save?
OTA commission typically sits in a 15 to 25% range of the room revenue; treat that as a market assumption and check your own contracts. The table uses an illustrative 60 room hotel.
| Assumption | Value |
|---|---|
| Rooms | 60 |
| Annual room nights sold (75% occupancy) | 16,425 |
| Average daily rate (assumption) | €190 |
| OTA commission (market assumption) | 18% |
| Commission per OTA room night | €34.20 |
| Nights moved from OTA to direct after redesign (2%) | 329 |
| Commission kept per year | about €11,250 |
Even a modest shift pays for a Growth or Premium redesign within the first year. Booking engine fees on direct reservations, if any, should be deducted from that figure.
Which risks matter most, and how do you reduce them?
Booking engine handover. Most hotels keep their existing engine. Agree in advance who styles it, test the full path on mobile with real dates, and keep a reservations phone number and email visible during the switch. Launch midweek, outside major events at the Aviva or the RDS.
Search rankings. Room, neighbourhood and "hotel near Grafton Street" type pages build traffic over years. Export every indexed URL from Google Search Console, map each to its new address with a 301 redirect, keep high-performing titles, resubmit the sitemap at launch and monitor for six weeks.
Content migration. Old offers, expired packages and event pages should be retired with redirects rather than left live with wrong prices.
Price display. Show the total price clearly and early, including mandatory fees; consumer rules on price transparency and rate parity clauses in OTA contracts vary, so stay general and check with your adviser.
Data protection. Enquiry and newsletter forms fall under the GDPR, the Irish Data Protection Act 2018 and the supervision of the Data Protection Commission. Collect only what is needed, document consent for marketing and publish a clear privacy notice.
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Accessibility. The European Accessibility Act applies from 28 June 2025 to e-commerce and some consumer booking services; check how it applies to your booking journey. Target WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA anyway: alt text on room photos, readable contrast, keyboard friendly date pickers and an accessibility statement. Also describe physical accessibility of rooms honestly. This is not legal advice.
When is a Dublin agency the better choice?
A local agency is the stronger option if you need a rebrand with seasonal on-site shoots, regular workshops with owners and the general manager, a CRM and loyalty programme across several properties, or close coordination with a revenue manager on rate strategy. A remote studio fits when the brand exists, the booking engine stays, and you want a faster, clearer site that converts more guests directly.
Ask every provider: Who owns the domain, the code and the photography licence? Who restyles the booking engine? How are redirects tested? Which WCAG level is tested, and how?
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Aoife manages a fictional 34 room Georgian townhouse hotel near Merrion Square. A Dublin studio quotes €19,000 and 12 weeks. She chooses Premium at €8,200 for English, French and German pages, plus about €1,500 for a local hotel photographer (third-party cost): €9,700 in total. Her old site had 52 indexed URLs; 35 are redirected, 17 expired offers are retired. With an assumed average daily rate of €210 and 18% OTA commission (market assumption), moving 200 nights a year to direct keeps about €7,560 per year.
FAQ
How long will the redesign take?
Kolonell delivers in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. Hotels usually need 1 to 2 extra weeks for photography and room copy, so plan 5 to 6 weeks.
Do we have to change our booking engine?
No. Most redesigns keep the existing engine with a styled link or widget; deeper integration or a switch to a new engine is on quote.
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to our hotel website?
It applies from 28 June 2025 to e-commerce and some consumer booking services, so check your booking journey with an adviser. Targeting WCAG 2.1 AA, around 50 success criteria, is a sensible baseline either way.
Which tier suits a 40 room hotel?
Growth at €4,500 covers room pages, offers and a blog in English. For two or more languages, Premium at €8,200 is the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote.
What happens to our old offers and packages pages?
They are retired with 301 redirects to the current offers page. On a typical hotel site that concerns 10 to 20 URLs.
Let's scope your project. Share your room count, booking engine, languages and target launch month, and we will return a fixed EUR scope. 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.
