Greetings,
I'm new to the vacation rental business and recently discovered this forum, what a great resource.
After a year renovations, we opened RioVino for business in mid-October (immediately booked 6 weekends in a row!).
I'd love to get your feedback on our website:
http://www.riovino.com
All feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Matt
Seeking feedback on our wesbite
-
Mountain Goat
- Posts: 6070
- Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:31 pm
- Location: Leysin, Alpes Vaudoises, Switzerland
- Contact:
riovino
Welcome. Great site - seriously professional.
A few comments:
1) Does it use Flash? If so, it's not only Ros who won't see beyond the Home page - a few thousand others are going to have a problem.
2) If it's a rental owner site, could it possibly be too professional and make the potential renter feel they are renting from a large commercial organisation? i.e. could it lose the personal touch?
3) Who's your designer?
Good luck!
MountainG
Welcome. Great site - seriously professional.
A few comments:
1) Does it use Flash? If so, it's not only Ros who won't see beyond the Home page - a few thousand others are going to have a problem.
2) If it's a rental owner site, could it possibly be too professional and make the potential renter feel they are renting from a large commercial organisation? i.e. could it lose the personal touch?
3) Who's your designer?
Good luck!
MountainG
Hi Matt
It's an excellent website. Attractive, easy to find your way around and a textbook example of using links to other sites to make your own seem so much bigger.
So why do I feel a bit uneasy? Maybe it's because most of the photos are interiors or lifestyle froth and the exteriors either face towards the property or are tightly cropped. I keep trying to look out of the windows or from the terrace to see what's around me. Perhaps the chauffeur from Five Star Limos gives you a blindfold so you can't see the kipper factory next door as he drives you to the wine tasting estate.
Matt, I'm being frivolous but trying to make a serious point. We all need hard information from a website to help us decide whether to book. I'm sure RioVino is situated in a lovely area with pretty grounds ... so why not show this in some of the photos? Sometimes, it's what pictures don't tell you that is as important as what they do.
Good luck with your enterprise.
Jim
It's an excellent website. Attractive, easy to find your way around and a textbook example of using links to other sites to make your own seem so much bigger.
So why do I feel a bit uneasy? Maybe it's because most of the photos are interiors or lifestyle froth and the exteriors either face towards the property or are tightly cropped. I keep trying to look out of the windows or from the terrace to see what's around me. Perhaps the chauffeur from Five Star Limos gives you a blindfold so you can't see the kipper factory next door as he drives you to the wine tasting estate.
Matt, I'm being frivolous but trying to make a serious point. We all need hard information from a website to help us decide whether to book. I'm sure RioVino is situated in a lovely area with pretty grounds ... so why not show this in some of the photos? Sometimes, it's what pictures don't tell you that is as important as what they do.
Good luck with your enterprise.
Jim
Wow- very slick presentation ! Bit of a corporate feel for me but,hey,maybe just the site to appeal to a young exec market? I would like some shots from the inside looking out just to check the vicinity. Good luck with it 
www.thepetitmanoir.com
www.thepetitmanoir.com
Very swish indeed, from an entirely personal perspective here are my thoughts.
I would like to make the photos bigger.
I'm never keen on closed curtains, it makes me wonder if the owner is hiding something.
Although very professional looking, some are wasted photos ie just cushions on a bed (again more in keeping with a hotel shot).
I want to see the whole exterior of the property, like others say, to get a feel of what's outside the door.
Prices seem dear but then again I don't know the American market.
So, overall, as a punter I would be impressed with the contemporary feel but would have liked the site to have 'told' me more.
I would like to make the photos bigger.
I'm never keen on closed curtains, it makes me wonder if the owner is hiding something.
Although very professional looking, some are wasted photos ie just cushions on a bed (again more in keeping with a hotel shot).
I want to see the whole exterior of the property, like others say, to get a feel of what's outside the door.
Prices seem dear but then again I don't know the American market.
So, overall, as a punter I would be impressed with the contemporary feel but would have liked the site to have 'told' me more.
Don't waste energy on things you can't change.
Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
Great input, thank you!
I appreciate all of the comments and suggestions.
I agree that the photos should be larger and display more of the exterior. While very nice looking in person, the exterior isn't highly photogenic, thus I've been having a rough time getting exterior shots that I like.
I really like the idea of taking shots from the inside looking out.
Ros, I'm not sure why you can't see past the first page, the site is not using Flash or anything fancy. What operating system and browser are you using?
Rexer, the weird fireplace is made by a company called Heat-N-Glo...I love it! Hard to find modern looking stoves
Thank everyone!
- Matt
I agree that the photos should be larger and display more of the exterior. While very nice looking in person, the exterior isn't highly photogenic, thus I've been having a rough time getting exterior shots that I like.
I really like the idea of taking shots from the inside looking out.
Ros, I'm not sure why you can't see past the first page, the site is not using Flash or anything fancy. What operating system and browser are you using?
Rexer, the weird fireplace is made by a company called Heat-N-Glo...I love it! Hard to find modern looking stoves
Thank everyone!
- Matt
Riovino website
I always seem to come in when everybody else has said it all.
Firstly I can see everything - no problems there.
My first impression is one of jealousy - what a beautiful, professional looking site. I wish mine was as classy. It does look a bit corporate, but that wouldn't worry me. Someone is obviously an exceptional photographer.
But I did find myself looking for outside photos. I wanted to see Sonoma lake, and the outside of the house. Are there any walking trails that you could photograph?
I know you have links to the town and the lake, but to be honest they aren't a patch on your own site, so I think you have got to find a way of showing people what they can do outside. Could you take a shot of people eating out? Do you have a garden to photograph? There must be something.
With a photographer that good you should be able to make the outside look as good as the inside.
Best of luck with it,
Pauline
Firstly I can see everything - no problems there.
My first impression is one of jealousy - what a beautiful, professional looking site. I wish mine was as classy. It does look a bit corporate, but that wouldn't worry me. Someone is obviously an exceptional photographer.
But I did find myself looking for outside photos. I wanted to see Sonoma lake, and the outside of the house. Are there any walking trails that you could photograph?
I know you have links to the town and the lake, but to be honest they aren't a patch on your own site, so I think you have got to find a way of showing people what they can do outside. Could you take a shot of people eating out? Do you have a garden to photograph? There must be something.
With a photographer that good you should be able to make the outside look as good as the inside.
Best of luck with it,
Pauline
Debut novelist at http://tinyurl.com/or89jle
http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
Yes, very smart site. Personally I did not find it off-putting or too "professional/business like". But it did give me the impression of style and class, and I expected it to cost me a lot per night/week ! I have no idea whether your rates are high for the region but one comment is that it took a little bit of hunting to work out how many people could stay. I know the front page says 2 bedrooms, but does this always imply 4 people ? This could actually be a general comment on so many other websites, I'm just taking the opportunity to air it here..
As to the comments above about the pictures not really showing the property, I think they are just right on the business pages. Indeed the quality of pictures is superb. For example the picture of wine bottle, two glasses and bedside light shows nothing about the property, but everything about the owner and how they perceive the property. Loved that concept.
On the other hand, you could, on the actual photos page, show more traditional views inside and outside, and wider angle shots. I don't think that would undermine the overall tone.
And a niggle, but very much in the spirit of your website:
What has happened to the border ? The white border doesn't quite join up sides and bottom. Does anyone else see this ? Is it intentional ??
As to the comments above about the pictures not really showing the property, I think they are just right on the business pages. Indeed the quality of pictures is superb. For example the picture of wine bottle, two glasses and bedside light shows nothing about the property, but everything about the owner and how they perceive the property. Loved that concept.
On the other hand, you could, on the actual photos page, show more traditional views inside and outside, and wider angle shots. I don't think that would undermine the overall tone.
And a niggle, but very much in the spirit of your website:
What has happened to the border ? The white border doesn't quite join up sides and bottom. Does anyone else see this ? Is it intentional ??
Hi
Artistic merit = high.
But, will it pull punters via the search engines ?
Well .....................
Google page rank = 0 probably because it is new ?
Maybe I've missed something, but neither the html or the stylesheet have title , keywords or abstract meta tags.
Much of the page content is constructed with image files. Image files are not recognised by the search engine robots. Robots read the alt text, but you don't have alt text.
The proof of the pudding is here : http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=& ... tnG=Search
Even taking the random sample of your text "San Rafael Bridge. Cross over Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. Take the ramp onto US-101 North. Stay on US-HWY. 101 North. Take the Central " brings up another website.
You need to be No 1 ?
Sorry to be negative, but I think you need to do a bit more research on SEO ?
Peter
Artistic merit = high.
But, will it pull punters via the search engines ?
Well .....................
Google page rank = 0 probably because it is new ?
Maybe I've missed something, but neither the html or the stylesheet have title , keywords or abstract meta tags.
Much of the page content is constructed with image files. Image files are not recognised by the search engine robots. Robots read the alt text, but you don't have alt text.
The proof of the pudding is here : http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=& ... tnG=Search
Even taking the random sample of your text "San Rafael Bridge. Cross over Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. Take the ramp onto US-101 North. Stay on US-HWY. 101 North. Take the Central " brings up another website.
You need to be No 1 ?
Sorry to be negative, but I think you need to do a bit more research on SEO ?
Peter
