Media Release | Alba’s website digitally mirrors real world experience
MORNINGTON PENINSULA, April 2022 – With its official opening scheduled for Spring this year, Alba Thermal Springs and Spa is already introducing potential guests to its bathing, spa treatment, and dining offerings via its newly launched website. The site has been created and developed by award-winning website design and digital marketing agency, Bright Labs.
According to Bright Labs managing director, Rishad Sukhia, the overall aim was to create a user experience in the virtual world that would mirror a visitor’s real world experience of the luxurious wellbeing oasis, which is located on the Mornington Peninsula.
“Everything about the portal’s design aesthetic – the layout, typeface, photography, colours – has been consciously curated to reflect the soothing ambiance of Alba’s natural environment, and complement its wellness ethos,” said Sukhia.
“Our intent has been to craft a digital experience that instils calm, so visitors can begin their Alba journey of tranquillity and relaxation from their first interaction with the site.”
Sukhia says the main challenge has been to present a wealth of information and booking options (there are more than 35 different spa treatments alone, for example) in a way that allows visitors to navigate seamlessly through the offerings and booking interfaces.
“Alba has three different experiential areas: bathing, spa treatments, and dining. The site design draws visitors through each of these areas, helping them to easily identify, book and purchase an experience and/or treatment suited to their needs in terms of intention, time, budget, and occasion, for example. Site visitors also need to be able to easily find information about location, access, what should they bring with them – all kinds of practical details. The design has had to be user-friendly as well as beautiful.”
“We’re thrilled with the result and very excited to be the digital team working with Alba to provide an amazing visitor experience for its launch into the market.”
Alba’s opening is eagerly awaited and potential guests have been avidly following social media and conventional media outlets for updates. As soon as the site went live – and ahead of the official launch – bookings were being received. In fact, 16 bookings were made via the portal in its first 48 hours. These bookings were mostly for luxurious half-day treatment packages. The strong appeal of the site, its content, and ease of use has been confirmed.
The site is built on an end-to-end business platform designed to manage reservations, operations, retail and e-commerce for spas, attractions, tourism operators and booking agents, developed by Ibis Technology.
“It’s a pleasure to work with Alba, providing them with their business management system and integrating it into a seamless online experience that delivers the customer their Alba dream,” said Christine Ryan, General Manager. “Being the first step of the Alba guest journey, it was important for us to help create a simple, intuitive interface that removes any complexity from the process.”
Alba General Manager Craig Dodd, said that the selection of Melbourne-based Bright Labs as its digital partner was in keeping with a deliberate policy of using the best local suppliers with international capabilities wherever possible and that the site’s photography and talent was also sourced from local providers
