CloudNineVillas.com
The Specs: Linda Sorensen and Allen Glenn, owners and operators of Cloud Nine Villas on St John US Virgin Islands, need a new look for their web site. They are interested in marketing to non-English-speaking clients. They have been updating their own HTML web site for years and want to continue to do so.
Client requests:
- Add a site translation feature
- Deliver their message in an attractive and professional way
- Let people feel they were already in the islands
- Streamline the reservation process to make the site user friendly
- Update the site themselves as the availability of the villas changes
The Solutions: Reprogram the site using the Drupal open-source Content Management System.
- Drupal allows Allen to use his knowledge of HTML editing to continue to format and update his own content
- The GoogleTranslate feature allows non-English-speaking users to instantly translate the site content into dozens of foreign languages
- Intuitive navigation and consistent formatting give the site a branded, professional look and make it easy to navigate
- Custom graphics with ocean, water and beach themes give visitors a sense they are surrounded by the beauty of Saint John
- Large, crisp images of each villa show off their beauty and help people imagine themselves relaxing in the tropical breezes
- Detailed reservation and information request forms assist Cloud Nine staff in collecting all the information they need to complete the booking without the need for multiple phone calls
- Custom GoogleMaps and concise reservation instructions help potential vacationers understand the logistics of renting from Cloud Nine Villas
Technical Notes:
- The site was built using Drupal 6.x which relies heavily on PHP, CSS, SQL, and HTML
- The Drupal theme Marinelli was used to format the site, but was extensively modified to give the site a unique, branded, design
- Drupal modules GoogleTranslate, Webform, Availability Calendars, and Weather were used to create the functionality on the site
- The client uses Dreamweaver to modify the HTML code for each page
Linda and Allen of Cloud Nine Villas say:
"Joe was patient, thoughtful and easy to work with. He was excellent at listening to our needs and helping us find the format, design and tools to express our vision. We provided the copy and photos and Joe pulled the design together into a cohesive whole. When he saw places to improve the content, Joe would revise or redesign as needed. We are very pleased with the results of the new site. It allows potential clients to know about our properties and provide us the information we need to complete the booking with maximum efficiency.
From our vantage point, Joe has a high level of technical expertise in design and programming. If a glitch developed that needed solving he was tenacious in finding the solution. When we came up with new ideas, he was creative in proposing ways to execute them. Even though we have been working with our previous web site for years, Joe had the expertise to take our site to a whole new level. The process was interesting and fun!
Joe gave the project all the personal attention required until the site was complete to our mutual satisfaction. He was determined that we would 'go live' with a product of which we were all proud. He is patient, creative, easy to work with and delivered good results promptly. We highly recommend him for web site design. It was a pleasure working with him!"
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SEE the NEW live site>>
redesigned Cloud Nine Villas site
COMPARE to the OLD site>>
Cloud Nine Villas site prior to redesign
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