House Of
I explored the brand identity and built our direct booking site, from property discovery to checkout.
- The challenge
- Create a direct booking route for a rental business that depended on Airbnb and VRBO.
- My contribution
- I designed the brand and site, built the booking flow, and connected the systems we use to operate it.
- The result
- House Of is live. Guests can check availability, get a price, and book a stay on our site.
In this project
Give guests a direct route to book
My wife and I built a vacation rental business in the California desert. Bookings depended on Airbnb and VRBO, while our own site was a placeholder.
I wanted guests to find a property, check the details, and book directly. We also needed a way to stay in touch after a visit.
Explore an identity with a sense of place
I explored horse symbols, warm desert colors, and several lettering styles for House Of. The studies ranged from a Pioneertown badge to a simpler wordmark.
These are explorations from the brand process. They show the range I considered alongside the website, property names, and guest materials.
Connect the property to the booking
I designed and built the site in Astro and Tailwind. Each property has a gallery, guest reviews, and a booking flow connected to Hospitable. Guests can check availability, get a price, and complete checkout on the site.
I connected inquiries to Slack and email signups to MailerLite. Property guides, travel articles, and printed guest materials use the same brand.
Build for the work after launch
House Of is live, giving us a direct booking channel. PostHog provides session recordings and conversion data so we can examine where visitors need help.
As an operator, I needed more than a finished website. Booking, inquiries, email, and measurement had to work together. I designed and built those connections as part of the same product.
The Invisible Host
Next projectI am organizing our rental documents, decisions, and financial records into a guide and planned membership product.