The verdict in three sentences
For a 30-room Mediterranean Revival heritage hotel on the island of Palm Beach, the website has to tell the story of a building, a history and a style of hospitality to demanding guests who often book by phone or through a concierge. A local Palm Beach or West Palm Beach agency is justified if you want meetings at the hotel with ownership, deep archival work and a team that also follows the gala season. A fixed-price remote studio is enough when the identity is already in place and the goal is an elegant, fast site built for direct bookings, against OTA commissions that typically run 15 to 25 percent.
Which criteria should you weigh first, and which red flags should you watch?
Use the table below as an interview guide: ask the local agency and the remote studio the same question, then compare the answers.
| Criterion | Question to ask | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Meetings and time zone | Who is my contact, and at what hours (Eastern Time)? | No named project manager before signing |
| Ownership | Will the domain, hosting and code be in our name? | Domain registered to the provider |
| Copywriting | Who writes the building's story, and in what native language? | Generic or machine-translated copy |
| Photography and archives | Who coordinates the shoot and archive digitization? | Stock images instead of your own photos |
| Timing | Can the site be delivered between May and September? | Launch planned in peak season |
| Booking | Which booking engine have you already connected? | A contact form passed off as booking |
| Maintenance | What does support cost after launch? | Vague pricing or tied to imposed hosting |
As a 2026 ballpark, typical quotes from Palm Beach County agencies for a custom luxury hotel site run from USD 25,000 to 75,000, sometimes more with video and identity work. The Kolonell grid is fixed: Starter $2,900, Growth $4,900, Premium $8,900, with a project manager reachable during your workday, native English or French copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support. See the international offer page.
When is a Palm Beach agency the better choice?
Honestly, in these cases:
- Ownership wants to see everything in person: designs presented in the hotel's salon, sign-off by the family or the board.
- The archival work is heavy: historical research, interviews, digitizing plans and old photographs kept on site.
- The social season is part of the strategy: galas, charity dinners and partnerships with Worth Avenue houses, which the agency follows day to day.
- You want one team for website, press and advertising throughout the season.
If the identity exists, a local photographer shoots the hotel and your team can supply the property's history, a remote studio delivers a comparable result for a fraction of the price, provided you launch off-season.
What should a Palm Beach heritage hotel website include?
| Element | Expected content | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Story of the property | Architecture, key dates, captioned archive photos | Native copy, approved by ownership |
| Rooms and suites | Real photos, sizes, views, total price with mandatory fees | FTC fees rule |
| Direct booking | Booking engine, channel manager, direct concierge line | SiteMinder, Cloudbeds, Mews: integration on quote |
| Restaurant and events | Menus, private rooms, inquiry form for dinners and galas | Table booking tool: link or integration on quote |
| Languages | English, Spanish and Portuguese depending on your Latin American guests | Only the Premium tier is multilingual, language count set in the quote |
| Discretion | Understated forms, minimal data, no published guest lists | Guests highly attentive to privacy |
| Accessibility | Precise description of accessible rooms and spaces, WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA target | An older building can have constraints: be precise |
The general frame. ADA Title III applies to hotels, including those in historic buildings, and its regulations require describing the accessible features of rooms in the reservation service. The FTC fees rule, in force since May 2025 for lodging, requires showing the total price. Florida's privacy law mainly targets very large companies, but a clear privacy notice is still essential; if you run targeted promotion to European residents, ask counsel whether the GDPR applies. Card payments stay within the booking engine's PCI DSS scope. This is not legal advice.
What is the total cost over three years?
| Line | Palm Beach County agency | Kolonell Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Website build | USD 30,000 to 70,000 | USD 8,900 |
| Photo and video shoot on property | USD 5,000 to 10,000 | USD 5,000 to 10,000 |
| Archive digitization | USD 1,000 to 3,000 | USD 1,000 to 3,000 |
| Maintenance and hosting (market assumption: USD 300 to 600 per month) | 36 months: USD 10,800 to 21,600 | 33 months: USD 9,900 to 19,800 |
| 3-year total | USD 46,800 to 104,600 | USD 24,800 to 41,700 |
| Cost per room per year (30 rooms) | USD 520 to 1,162 | USD 276 to 463 |
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Maintenance is a market assumption; at Kolonell, after the 3 included months of support, it is on quote. Booking engine integration is priced separately.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Catherine runs a fictional 30-room heritage hotel on the island. Her season runs from November to April: 150 nights at 88 percent occupancy, so 3,960 room nights at an average of $750. A quarter come through OTAs, 990 nights, at 20 percent commission, which is $150 per night and $148,500 per season. If the new site converts 200 of those nights to direct, the hotel saves 200 × 150 = $30,000 per season. Catherine compares an agency at $60,000 for the build with the Premium tier at $8,900: she picks the remote studio, launches in June, and sets aside $8,000 for a local photographer and archive digitization.
FAQ
When should a Palm Beach hotel launch its new site?
Between May and September, when the island is quieter. With 3 to 4 weeks of production, a July launch leaves the whole fall for testing before the season opens in November.
Can a remote studio tell the story of a heritage building?
Yes, if you supply the archives and a one-hour interview with ownership; native copywriting handles the rest. Budget USD 1,000 to 3,000 to digitize plans and old photographs.
Do we need Spanish or Portuguese pages?
Part of Palm Beach's international clientele comes from Latin America, and a few key pages in their language build trust. Only the Premium tier, at $8,900, is multilingual, with the number of languages set in the quote.
How do we protect guest discretion on the website?
Collect the minimum data, never display guest lists and keep forms to 5 or 6 fields. Payment stays with the booking engine, which carries the PCI DSS compliance.
Must the site display mandatory fees?
Yes, since May 2025 the FTC has required a total price including mandatory fees. A $750 a night suite must therefore show a price that includes those fees from the very first page.
Let's scope your project. A Palm Beach heritage hotel site with the property's story, rooms, restaurant and events can be delivered in 3 to 4 weeks, from $2,900 to $8,900 depending on 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.