The verdict in three sentences
A boutique hotel in London that asks three agencies for "a new website" will typically get quotes anywhere from £6,000 to £40,000, because each one guesses a different scope. A one-page requirements checklist, with room types, offers, languages, the booking engine and channel manager on separate lines, and UK GDPR and PECR rules for forms and cookies, turns those guesses into comparable prices. Against that checklist, Kolonell's fixed grid reads plainly: £2,300 (Starter), £3,900 (Growth), £6,900 (Premium), with every hotel system integration on quote.
The checklist to send with every quote request
Fill in the right-hand column for your property, then attach the table to each request so every agency prices the same thing.
| Section | What to specify | Example for a London property | Usually priced as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals and audiences | Main action, guest mix | Direct booking enquiries; business and leisure guests from abroad, staying in Marylebone or Shoreditch | Included |
| Pages and templates | Count and reusable layouts | Home, 6 room types, 3 offers, restaurant and bar, neighbourhood guide, meetings, contact, legal | Included up to an agreed number |
| Content ownership | Who writes, approves, signs off | GM approves, owner signs off claims, chef checks menu and allergen copy | Included (copywriting) or extra |
| Languages | Which pages, which languages | English site, a second language on rooms and booking pages | Extra or a higher tier |
| Booking engine | Embed existing engine, test flow | Existing engine re-embedded on every room page | Separate line |
| Channel manager and PMS | Links only, no rebuild | No custom connection, confirmation emails stay in the engine | Separate line |
| Table booking, gift vouchers | Existing tools embedded | Restaurant reservations widget, voucher shop link | Separate lines |
| Accessibility | Target and checks | WCAG 2.2 AA, accessible room information page | Included or extra |
| Data protection | Forms, cookies, email | Minimal enquiry fields, consent-based cookie banner, opt-in for newsletters | Included |
| Hosting and domain | Ownership | Domain, hosting and analytics accounts in the hotel company's name | Included |
| SEO migration | Existing URLs | URL inventory, 301 map, Search Console access | Included or extra |
| Acceptance and timing | Tests, launch window | Test booking on each room type; launch outside peak weeks | Included |
A few London specifics belong in the checklist itself. Star ratings appear only as officially held. Prices shown on the site, from room rates to packages, should display the total including any mandatory fees, in line with the DMCC Act 2024 and CMA guidance on pricing. Restaurant menus go online as HTML, with allergen information checked by the kitchen, following Food Standards Agency guidance. Cookies and marketing email follow PECR and UK GDPR, overseen by the ICO, and the Equality Act 2010 is the reason to set a WCAG 2.2 AA target. This is not legal advice.
How much does a vague brief cost you?
The ranges are a 2026 ballpark, drawn from typical London agency quotes and public rate pages, not a survey.
| Brief item | Vague | Precise | What happens to quotes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | "A new website" | 16 pages, 4 templates | Range of about £6,000 to £40,000 narrows to £4,000 to £15,000 |
| Rooms | "Show the rooms" | 6 room pages, one template, photos supplied | No surprise per-page fees |
| Booking | "Online booking" | Existing engine re-embedded and tested | Nobody prices a custom engine at £10,000 and up |
| Restaurant | "Add the restaurant" | HTML menu, allergen copy approved by chef | Avoids PDF menus and rework |
| Languages | "Maybe French" | Second language on 8 pages | Translation priced once, not as a change request |
| Migration | Not mentioned | 70 URLs, 301 map required | Protects existing search visibility |
How do you score three quotes fairly?
Score each criterion from 1 to 5, multiply by the weight, divide by 5. The weights below favour scope and integrations, because that is where boutique hotel projects usually slip.
| Criterion | Weight | Quote A (London agency) | Quote B (hotel tech vendor template) | Quote C (remote studio) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches the checklist | 30 | 5 → 30 | 3 → 18 | 4 → 24 |
| Integrations clearly separated | 20 | 4 → 16 | 5 → 20 | 4 → 16 |
| Compliance (UK GDPR, PECR, pricing, accessibility) | 15 | 4 → 12 | 3 → 9 | 4 → 12 |
| Price clarity | 15 | 2 → 6 | 3 → 9 | 5 → 15 |
| Timeline and launch window | 10 | 3 → 6 | 4 → 8 | 4 → 8 |
| Ownership of domain, content, accounts | 10 | 4 → 8 | 2 → 4 | 4 → 8 |
| Total | 100 | 78 | 68 | 83 |
Read the low scores as much as the totals: a vendor template that keeps the domain or design under its licence can cost more when you leave.
Where does the Kolonell grid sit against the checklist?
| Checklist block | Starter £2,300 | Growth £3,900 | Premium £6,900 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page count | Compact site, about 5 pages | Room, offer, restaurant and guide pages | Full structure, advanced animation |
| Copywriting | Native English | Native English | Native English or French |
| Languages | One | One | The multilingual tier, languages set in the quote |
| Booking engine, channel manager, PMS | On quote | On quote | On quote |
| Table booking, gift vouchers, spa | On quote | On quote | On quote |
| 301 migration | Small site | Included | Included, deeper SEO |
Each tier includes a project manager reachable in UK hours, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready and 3 months of support. The full scope is on the international offer page.
Mini case study
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Illustrative example. Hannah manages "The Larkfield", a fictional 24-room boutique hotel in Marylebone with a ground-floor restaurant. Her first request, two lines long, returned quotes of £6,500, £19,000 and £38,000.
With the checklist above (about 8 hours of work with her owner and head chef), the next three quotes landed between £3,900 and £14,500, all listing the booking engine and table booking separately.
- Scenario choice: Growth at £3,900.
- Booking engine re-embedding and testing on 6 room pages: on quote, separate line.
- Local photographer for rooms and restaurant (third-party cost, assumed £1,800).
- Known total before signing: £5,700 plus the integration line.
The spread between quotes fell from £31,500 to £10,600. This example implies no change in bookings; it only shows how a precise brief makes quotes comparable.
FAQ
Should the booking engine be part of the website price?
No. List the booking engine, channel manager and PMS as separate lines so you can compare them; at Kolonell they are on quote on top of the £2,300 to £6,900 tiers.
Do we need to show prices including fees on the website?
Where you display a price, show the total including mandatory fees; the DMCC Act 2024 and CMA guidance cover this. Ask each agency how their room and package templates handle it.
What accessibility target should we write?
WCAG 2.2 AA is a sensible, testable target that supports Equality Act 2010 duties. Include at least one accessible rooms page and test it at acceptance.
When should we launch?
Outside your peak weeks and away from major events your guests travel for. Allow 2 weeks to compare quotes, then 3 to 4 weeks of production once content is ready.
How detailed should the restaurant section be?
An HTML menu with allergen information checked by the kitchen, plus the table booking widget on its own line. A PDF menu is harder to read on mobile and harder to update.
Let's scope your project. Send us your checklist and we will price it line by line from £2,300, with delivery in 3 to 4 weeks once content is ready. 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.
