5) General comments

a) Frameset -- the site is in a frameset for no apparent good reason. MYSS! 2002 outlines all kinds of reasons why framesets are *generally* a big mistake. There are exceptions, but not for a simple site like this one.

b) Speed and reliability -- the site was down Monday morning, and brutally slow that afternoon and evening (200-500 bytes/second). Today (Tuesday), I get a "document contains no data" message. Not good.

c) Glaring Absence 1 -- no testimonials. Can you imagine the power of kind words by Mick Jagger (a poolside regular) and other high profile habituis?

d) Glaring Absence 2 -- lack of a backup response. They *do* have a newsletter. Amazingly, it's only html and there does not seem to be any way to subscribe to it.

It's a terrific newsletter, including some great articles on key employees. They even give away their recipe for their renowned "Chicken Tortilla Soup," a nice little example of "giving" on the Net.

But that's *all* there is, just the recipe -- include a bit of sizzle about the soup (bad metaphor, I know -- it's steaks that sizzle!)...

• describe its wonderful taste
• explain its origins and history
• mention how Elizabeth Taylor and Britney Spears order it whenever they're at the hotel.

I'd sign up to receive their newsletter by e-mail in a second, just to receive warm notes from a place that I love. But I can't because they don't offer that option. Since I'll never get around to revisiting just to see if a new newsletter is out, well...

... out of sight, out of mind. :-(

A regular e-mailed newsletter would be a powerful, low-cost loyalty-builder for former guests and a great relationship-builder for potential ones.

e) Broken text links at the bottom of the Home Page ("Reservations" and "What's New"). This should simply never occur in any kind of site, let alone the BHH's.

f) Design and Usability -- the overall feel is amateurish, and inconsistent with the high class of the hotel itself. Many of the links are not intuitive and the "What's New" text link is named differently from the "Happenings" graphics link in the left margin -- it should, I assume, be the same.

g) Glaring Absence 3 -- no joints between pages (see MYSS! 2002 for more information about all-important joints). An effective site has a process, a logic behind it. It pulls the visitor inexorably towards the Most Wanted Response. Not here, though.

Next: Conclusions >

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"Hands On Site Selling"
Written by Ken Evoy, M.D.,
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