We are proud to announce the return of Brook Farm Inn (Lenox, MA) as a design and web hosting client and the launch of the Berkshires B&B’s new responsive WordPress website on January 26.  The website offers cutting edge design that also reflects the marketing voice of innkeepers Angela Lomanto and John Nelson.

New Innkeepers Wanted a New Direction, but Came Back to InsideOut to Find the Right One

Innkeepers Angela Lomanto and John Nelson of Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts

Angela & John took over the innkeeping of Brook Farm Inn in August, 2015.  We assisted in the transfer process by supplying the previous innkeeper with our checklist so that the new innkeepers would have access to all the inn’s online accounts.  Once that was completed, Taylor Hasenpflug, Pat McCauley & Shawn Kerr provided new innkeeper orientation services and support to make sure Angela & John had a firm grasp on the internet side of the business.

After a few months, it became apparent to Angela & John that the website we had built, then several years old, needed to be redone – not only to bring it up to current web design standards, but also to give it their own look and feel.  Pat submitted a proposal in January of 2016, but the new innkeepers decided to go with another web design and marketing company.

Angela got in touch with Pat just eight months later to request a new proposal.  Their new provider wasn’t working out and, after looking around at other options, she was ready to return to InsideOut Solutions for her internet and print marketing needs.  By November the contract was finalized. Beth Edwards, our lead website designer, got in touch with Angela to collect the necessary information, preferences and materials for the design proof while Shawn worked with Angela to collect what was needed to transfer hosting.

Crafting a New Look & Feel – the Design Proof

Beth took Angela’s notes, new photographs from Jumping Rocks Photography and put together a graphic representation of the proposed website design and Angela replied:

“The proof looks terrific! The color scheme works and the design is lovely.  We understand the parameters and can’t wait to see the next steps.  It’s very beautiful and evokes the elegance and the colors of nature.  We are very pleased, thank you!”

Laying the Foundation – the Development

With that approval in hand, the project was handed off to web developer Taylor to code the responsive WordPress website, which included:

• A responsive WordPress website design that automatically adapts the layout elements to web browser resolution, keeping the layout looking its best no matter what device is being used to view it
• “Sticky” site navigation and social sharing bars remain in view at the top and bottom of the web browser window as a visitor scrolls down the page
• HTML 5 code and CSS 3 styling that conforms to the recommendations of Google Developers and the World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards including Schema structured data markup that helps search engines better understand their business
• Custom WordPress plugins and post types developed by InsideOut Solutions specifically for its lodging clients, including:
  • Rooms custom post type, offering easy management of room description, accommodation type, available amenities, photo gallery, rate information, availability calendar link and more
  • Specials custom post type provides efficient creation and management of recurring or date-specific offers and their categories
  • Area Maps custom plugin, which allows the owners to create and edit custom layers on a Google Map

Putting It All Together – the Fill-in & SEO

Beth worked with Angela on the content it.  The new photos were optimized for display on the website and the text was rewritten in the new owners’ marketing voice. Beth then filled in the pages, carefully matching text with optimized images.

Shawn then worked on pre-launch Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Page content and “behind the scenes” code were optimized via page edits and the Yoast SEO plugin during the proofing process. Redirects were created for each and every URL of the previous website to ensure no “page not found” errors would show up to have a negative impact on either search engines or visitor experience.

The new Brook Farm Inn website launched with SSL hosting on January 26 and Shawn then provided post-launch SEO to ensure that the new website would be quickly indexed by search engines.

BEFORE: Angela felt the past design was lackluster and impersonal.

AFTER: The new website better reflects the innkeepers’ marketing vision and voice.

The “Real World” Side of Brook Farm Inn’s Marketing – the New Printed (and Digital) Visitor’s Guide

During the development of the website, Angela also worked with Jennifer Lozada to create their new visitor’s guide, available for download on the website.

Results That Speak for Themselves

Angela and John have also chosen to sign up for additional internet marketing services, including blog writing, social media, and ongoing SEO.

Following the launch of their new website, Angela dashed off a one line email to Beth that read:

“Magnificent!!  Thank you and please thank your team!”

UPDATE – June 20, 2017

Innkeeper Angela emailed Pat McCauley the following:

“Pat, our numbers are way, way up, compared to last year thanks to your team.  Please let them know.   We are 40% up for August alone as of today.”

Considering a Responsive WordPress Website for Your Inn?

Web development standards never stand still.  A new responsive WordPress website from InsideOut Solutions starts at just $500 down and $125 per month for 24 months.  Contact us today for a quote to keep your internet marketing effective with the ever-evolving standards of website design and web development.