SLS Hotels

Sophisticated lovely sites

Challenge

As sbe prepared to open its second SLS Hotel, with plans to launch additional locations in the following two to three years, it became evident the company needed to create a new, more substantial SLS web presence, which had been previously existing as a one-off boutique hotel.

Working against a dual timeline—one, creating an interim site that could evoke the brand and serve as a functioning site for the new property at launch, and two, developing a more robust site that could handle up to 10 new locations—MBLM simultaneously managed the incremental changes needed on the short-term site, while working toward the bigger-picture opportunity. The new, robust site also required new imagery and a new vocabulary that both captured and conveyed the brand ethos.

MBLM created a brand portal for SLS Hotels and sites for four individual properties—Beverly Hills, South Beach, New York and Las Vegas. The new site captures the brand essence through copy, design and the use of unexpected detailing throughout—including unobtrusive JavaScript-enabled navigation that appears and disappears depending on user needs. MBLM also provided creative direction for a large-scale photo shoot to create lifestyle images for the site. Social media was integrated into the experience through a series of live feeds from different channels, opportunities to share reviews and information and several jumping-off points to SLS property and brand pages. The site was built in WordPress Multisite to allow easy content management for the five individual sites and any future sites, a major requirement for the company. And through responsive design, the site appears to resize itself across different screens and devices.