Built to be found
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts are one of the world's most storied luxury hotel brands, with over 90 distinctive properties spanning iconic destinations from the Canadian Rockies to the banks of the Nile, the Swiss Alps to the Arabian Gulf. Part of the Accor family, the brand has been synonymous with elegance, heritage, and extraordinary hospitality for well over a century - from the grandeur of The Savoy to the romance of Le Château Frontenac.
Each Fairmont hotel is deeply rooted in its destination, with a character and story entirely its own. Together, they form one of the most recognisable luxury collections in the world.
EDOUARD LEMAIRE GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL EXPERIENCE & PERFORMANCE, RAFFLES AND FAIRMONT
The Challenge
By 2024, the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts website had reached a crossroads. Launched in 2020, the platform had grown increasingly limiting and change was needed.
"The ambition was not just to modernise the platform, but to elevate it into a true flagship digital asset - one that fully represented Fairmont's positioning, enhanced the guest journey, and played a central role within Accor's global digital ecosystem," reflected Edouard Lemaire, Global Director of Digital Experience & Performance. The decision was clear: the website needed to be rethought from the ground up, at a scale that would ultimately see more than 22,000 pages contributed by teams across every region of the world.
Fairmont engaged 80 DAYS specifically to provide technical SEO consultancy throughout the design and build process - helping to ensure that organic visibility was protected and that SEO best practices were embedded into the new platform's architecture from the very start.
WHERE WAS THE WEBSITE BEFORE THIS PROJECT STARTED, AND WHAT DROVE THE DECISION TO REBUILD?
Edouard: Before this project, the Fairmont website had reached a point where it was no longer fully aligned with our ambitions, both from a brand and a performance perspective. While the previous version was launched in 2020, after four years it became clear that we needed to deliver a significantly enhanced experience to meet evolving guest expectations and attract new audiences.
The platform itself was built on a complex and increasingly limiting technical stack. The CMS lacked the flexibility we needed, making it difficult to efficiently manage content, adapt layouts, or scale new features across properties. From a design standpoint, we were quite constrained - it limited our ability to properly showcase our properties and destinations, and ultimately didn't reflect the level of luxury, storytelling, and visual richness that defines Fairmont. Mobile was another key challenge. All of this led us to a clear conclusion: we needed to rethink the website from the ground up.
A PROJECT AT THIS SCALE (ACROSS MORE THAN 90 HOTELS GLOBALLY) IS NO SMALL UNDERTAKING. WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST COMPLEXITIES GOING IN?
Edouard: One of the main challenges we anticipated from the outset was ensuring consistency while respecting the uniqueness of each property. Fairmont hotels are deeply rooted in their destinations, with strong individual identities, so the objective was to create a unified digital framework that could scale globally while still allowing each hotel to express its own story.
Another key complexity was the transformation of the underlying ecosystem. Moving away from a legacy technical stack required careful planning around data migration, SEO continuity, and overall site performance - preserving our organic visibility while redesigning the entire structure was a critical focus throughout. And then there was the content contribution phase itself: more than 22,000 pages contributed by teams worldwide, requiring extensive coordination and rigorous quality control to maintain consistency and accuracy at that scale.
HOW DID 80 DAYS' APPROACH DIFFER FROM HOW YOU'VE WORKED WITH AGENCIES BEFORE?
Edouard: From the very beginning, 80 DAYS stood out as a partner in a way that felt truly collaborative and aligned with our ambitions. Unlike many agency experiences where support can be more segmented, 80 DAYS was fully embedded throughout the entire journey - from early wireframe and design reviews through to technical and SEO consultancy.
Their approach was proactive and hands-on at every stage. During the wireframe and design phases, they helped us think strategically about user experience, conversion, and content hierarchy, always considering both global consistency and the unique identity of each property. What truly differentiated them was their ability to bridge strategy, technical execution, and SEO insight seamlessly. It felt less like working with an external agency and more like having an extension of our own digital team - which was critical for a project of this scale and complexity.
SEO AND UX CAN OFTEN FEEL LIKE AN AFTERTHOUGHT IN WEBSITE BUILDS. HOW DID HAVING THOSE DISCIPLINES EMBEDDED FROM DAY ONE CHANGE THE OUTCOME?
Edouard: Having SEO and UX involved from day one completely changed how we approached the website. Instead of being something we thought about at the end, these disciplines shaped every decision - from the first wireframes to the technical build and content strategy.
UX helped us focus on the guest experience at every step: how people navigate the site, find information, and enjoy the journey, especially on mobile, all while ensuring the look and feel reflected the luxury and storytelling that define Fairmont. Having SEO embedded from the start meant we didn't have to worry about fixing things later. Everything from site structure to content and technical setup was designed to perform well in search from day one. It saved us time and ensured our new site would be discoverable globally.
WHAT DOES THE NEW WEBSITE DO FOR THE FAIRMONT BRAND THAT THE PREVIOUS ONE SIMPLY COULDN'T?
Edouard: The new Fairmont website does a lot that the previous platform simply couldn't. First and foremost, it allows us to truly showcase the luxury, character, and storytelling of each property and destination - but also the new brand direction we've created internally. Whereas the old site was constrained by design and technical limitations, the new platform gives us the flexibility to bring the brand to life visually and narratively, reflecting the richness of the Fairmont experience.
It also provides a much smoother, more intuitive experience for our guests, especially on mobile. Navigation, content discovery, and booking flows are all designed to feel seamless, helping visitors engage with the brand more naturally and confidently. In short, it's no longer just a website, it's an experience, a storytelling platform and a key driver for both brand perception and business results.
IT'S NOW BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE LAUNCH. WHAT DOES THE PERFORMANCE DATA TELL YOU?
Edouard: The performance data is already very encouraging. Our collective approach, embedding SEO best practices into both the technical architecture and content strategy from day one, has made a real difference. Hotels and resorts are being found more easily, with improved visibility and stronger placement in search results.
Beyond search, the improvements in engagement and conversion are clear - we're attracting the right audiences. We've seen a 25% increase in engagement, a 45% increase in conversion rate and a 25% increase in transactions. Revenue is also up by 30%, and guest feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with an 82% customer satisfaction score. These results show that integrating UX and SEO from the start was not just the right decision - it's helping Fairmont.com perform as a true flagship digital asset.
FOR ANOTHER LUXURY HOTEL BRAND CONSIDERING A PROJECT OF THIS SCALE, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM ABOUT WORKING WITH 80 DAYS?
Edouard: I would tell them that working with 80 DAYS is a truly collaborative experience. From day one, they immerse themselves in your brand, understand your ambitions, and bring both strategic insight and practical solutions to the table. They're not just an external agency - they truly feel like an extension of your own team.
What really stands out is their ability to combine creativity, technical expertise and SEO know-how seamlessly. They guide you through complex decisions, help navigate challenges and keep the focus on what really matters: delivering an exceptional experience for your guests while achieving tangible business results.
Looking to embed SEO and UX strategy into your next website project? We'd love to talk.