Hotels lose up to 30% of their revenue to intermediaries like OTAs. While travelers seek reassurance before booking, the standard “category-based” approach leaves them with little visibility into the real experience. The challenge was twofold: enable hotels to regain margin and control over distribution, and provide guests with a more engaging and transparent booking journey.

As founding designer and CPO, I defined the product vision, designed the booking flows, managed integration with PMS providers (Oracle Hospitality Distribution API), and ensured secure online payments with Stripe. I also oversaw client onboarding, user research, and iterative product improvements. I collaborated closely with developers to align feasibility, ensure performance, and scale the platform.

We created a next-generation booking engine combining hotel PMS connectivity, secure online payments, and interactive 3D virtual tours. Hotels can showcase rooms, suites, and extras with immersive walkthroughs, while guests book directly with confidence. The platform supports upselling (e.g. early check-in, late check-out, premium packages) and integrates seamlessly with hotel operations.

I started with field research in boutique and luxury hotels to understand booking pain points for both hoteliers and guests. I mapped key user journeys, benchmarked OTA flows, and prototyped immersive booking experiences in Figma. Working hand-in-hand with developers, I ran quick iterations to validate feasibility and optimize for performance. Continuous A/B testing and Mixpanel tracking guided improvements on conversion, occupancy, and extras sales.

3 clients signed and 1 live since July 2025: Hôtel Bachaumont (Paris, 4★) (Book a room at Hôtel Bachaumont 👉🏻) Reduced reliance on OTAs by shifting direct booking share Early tracking shows strong engagement with virtual tours compared to standard booking flows Positioned as a showcase product at industry events and innovation awards Next steps include expanding the client portfolio, refining the conversion funnel, and scaling integrations to more PMS providers.

Designing for hospitality requires balancing conversion performance with storytelling. Virtual tours significantly boost guest engagement but need to remain frictionless in the booking process. Close collaboration with hoteliers proved essential to address both guest experience and operational constraints.

“Adrien’s vision and execution turned VairStay from an idea into a tangible product that impresses both hoteliers and guests. His ability to combine user research, design, and strategy with hands-on product management made the difference in launching our first clients successfully.” Thomas S. Co-Founder, VairStay