stay os

running a boutique hotel took seven browser tabs. now it takes one.

the one that got me promoted, if we're being honest.

my role

Research, IA, UI, the design system, handoff. Plus the gentle nagging.

the team

One designer (hi), one PM, four engineers.

the outcome

Booking-to-confirm time cut roughly in half.

01 — the problem

front-desk staff were the integration layer

Bookings lived in one tool, payouts in another, guest messages on WhatsApp. Every check-in meant typing the same name into three places — and every typo showed up as an annoyed guest at 11pm.

I shadowed two properties for a week. The pattern was blunt: staff didn't want more features, they wanted one surface where rooms, money and conversation sat side by side.

02 — the shape of it

three columns, one truth

rooms

Availability, rating and guest name on one card — no drill-down to know what's free.

money

Withdrawable balance is the headline. Expected earnings sit quiet underneath it.

conversation

Messages and the booking calendar share a rail, so replies happen with context.

03 — what changed

−48%

time from booking request to confirmation

1 → 0

tools staff alt-tabbed to during check-in

components shipped as a reusable library

and nobody printed a spreadsheet again.