A website for a restaurant or hotel: what it absolutely needs

A tourist in Tirana is looking for somewhere to have dinner. A family from the diaspora is planning a holiday in Durrës or Prizren. A regular wants to know if you're open tonight. All of them will open your website on a phone, often in a hurry. If they don't find the answer within a few seconds, they move on to the next place. Here is what a restaurant or hotel website absolutely needs.

Menu or rooms, with real photos

For a restaurant, the menu is the main reason people open the website. Put it on the page as readable text, not only as a PDF or a scanned photo, so it is easy to read on a phone and can be found on Google. For a hotel, every room type deserves its own page, with a description, amenities and capacity. In both cases, real photos of your space, your dishes and your rooms are far more convincing than stock photos bought online.

Prices, opening hours and location

• Prices: customers want to know what it costs before they come. Missing prices create doubt and unnecessary questions.
• Opening hours: kept up to date, including seasonal hours and public holidays.
• Location: the address, a map and a button that opens navigation. For tourists, add how to get there from the airport or the city center.

Direct reservations

A visible booking button on every page that works well on a phone is one of the most valuable things a website can have. For a restaurant, a simple form or a reservation system with automatic confirmation is enough. For a hotel, a booking system with up-to-date availability and prices lets guests book directly with you, at any hour.

For hotels: direct bookings or booking platforms

Booking platforms, known as OTAs, bring you guests who would otherwise never have heard of you, but they keep a commission on every reservation. Your website doesn't replace them; it gives you a channel where the guest books directly, without commission, and where the relationship is yours. Many hotels encourage this with a small perk for direct bookings, such as breakfast included or a later check-out. Prices and availability should stay the same across all channels.

WhatsApp and phone, one tap away

In Kosovo and Albania, many reservations are still made by phone or WhatsApp. The phone number should be tappable, and a WhatsApp button should be visible without scrolling. A pre-written message, such as Hello, I'd like to book a table for two, makes that first step even easier.

Languages

Albanian comes first. English is essential for tourists and foreign visitors. Depending on your guests, Italian, German or another language may make sense too. One caution: a bad translation leaves a worse impression than a missing language. Two languages done well beat five done badly.

Reviews

Show reviews from Google, TripAdvisor or the booking platforms on your site, and encourage happy guests to leave one before they go. Reply to negative reviews too, calmly and without long excuses: how you respond says a lot about your business.

Speed on mobile and your Google Business Profile

Large photos make a site slow, and slow sites get abandoned. Photos need to be optimized so the site opens quickly even on a weak connection. Alongside the website, keep your Google Business Profile up to date: opening hours, photos, menu and reviews show up there before anyone even opens your site.

Guests aren't looking for the prettiest website. They're looking for the answer to their question, within seconds, on a phone.

The checklist

• Menu or rooms, with real photos and prices.
• Up-to-date opening hours and a map with navigation.
• A booking button that works on a phone.
• Phone and WhatsApp one tap away.
• Albanian and English, translated well.
• Genuine reviews and replies to them.
• A fast site and a complete Google Business Profile.