Banyan Living - Building the digital platform behind a modern stay

Challenges

Banyan Living had no existing digital framework for branded residence rentals. There was no booking platform and an operational system. Guesty, a platform designed for short-term rental management, was used in the early phase. It supported basic listings and transactions, but it lacked the depth, flexibility, and brand expression required for a high-end residential booking experience.

Guests entering the site were met with an unclear path. Navigation was inconsistent. Booking flows were fragmented. The content structure did not reflect how people search, compare, or make decisions. Property pages listed features but failed to communicate story, character, or appeal. This reduced distinctive homes to generic listings, weakening trust and making selection more difficult.

The platform lacked coherence. Layouts varied across pages. The transition from discovery to checkout introduced friction. There was no consistent structure linking the experience together.

The platform did not support different user roles. Guests were prompted to log in too early, disrupting the flow. Agents had no tools to manage or share listings. Both were treated the same, despite having entirely different needs. Mobile wasn’t spared either. For guests browsing between meetings or across time zones, the site demanded effort.

Operational workflows were also missing. Marketing, leasing, and property management processes had to be defined from zero and built into the product itself.

Approach

We approached the platform as a functional layer of the hospitality experience. The goal was to reduce friction, build familiarity, guide attention, enable deeper exploration, and allow guests to move at their own pace.

The design logic followed a clear sequence: search, see, compare, decide. 

Content architecture was based on progressive disclosure. Instead of front-loading every detail, we allowed information to surface as interest deepened. This made comparison easier and reduced visual noise, especially for users browsing multiple properties.

Interaction patterns were adjusted to match how people scan and tap with less attention and higher interruption. Precision demands were reduced, and key actions were made more obvious.

Technology supported the design logic and clarity. A headless setup allowed the design to grow independently. Content teams have the freedom to manage listings without risk. It helped maintain consistency, simplify releases, and support future changes.

Every part of the system, from UI structure to deployment, was shaped to reduce unnecessary effort and reflect the pace, tone, and clarity expected from the brand.

Solution

Content strategy

We prioritised presentation and clarity. Key content such as location, availability, pricing, and stay type was surfaced early, while supporting details were revealed progressively. The structure allowed guests to browse without overload and supported future use cases like monthly pricing, multilingual content, and location-specific configurations.

Design solutions

The team designed the platform around two core journeys: guests and agents. Guest flows supported open browsing with no forced login, clear pricing breakdowns, and an optional toggle for monthly pricing. Agents were given a direct path to share listings and confirm bookings without having to step through the guest process. These flows were mapped and validated early in the design phase.

The homepage featured destination hubs (Phuket, Krabi, Pattaya), property categories (premium, family, luxury), and brand introduction sections. Breaks were placed between sections to improve scannability and reduce scroll fatigue. 

Property detail pages were designed to support decision-making with contextual sections: area overviews, included amenities, cancellation policies, and a booking section with clear pricing and dates.

The map was designed to show the location and nearby places. To help guests assess the relevance of the location as part of their decision-making.

Consistent interface language

The interface was shaped using a shared set of components, styled with Tailwind CSS, and structured around atomic design principles. 

This made the experience more predictable and easier to extend over time. Generative AI was used to convert design layouts into frontend code, accelerating production while keeping the original design intent intact.

Flexibility and control

The platform used a headless setup with Drupal 10 as the content backend and Next.js as the frontend framework.

It gave the teams full control over layout, behaviour, and performance. As booking logic, pricing structures, and content needs changed, the interface could adapt without affecting the backend or slowing down delivery.

Infrastructure and delivery

The platform runs on AWS, using the client’s existing infrastructure to avoid duplicate systems and contain operating costs. It’s deployed through Kubernetes (EKS), with content storage handled via S3 and global delivery routed through CloudFront.

Frontend updates are triggered directly from the CMS. GitHub Actions manages the build and release pipeline, giving teams a self-serve way to publish changes without touching the AWS console. This setup kept the system stable, avoided downtime, and gave non-technical teams control over day-to-day operations.

AI-assisted workflows reduced total engineering and delivery effort by 30%, saving time and resources.

Outcome

The platform supports how guests navigate hospitality decisions. Actions are clearly labelled, and the booking process is direct. The experience supports both casual exploration and focused decision-making with equal clarity.

Information is grouped by relevance. Visual hierarchy reflects what guests care about most. Important details appear when needed and never compete for attention too early.

On the backend, teams can update content without developer support. Editorial work happens within a structured system, with confidence that design consistency will hold. The system reduces rework and speeds up turnaround.

The platform delivers on performance and brand alignment. It matches the pace, clarity, and care of the hospitality experience it represents. This is UX that removes effort, and technology used with purpose. 

That is hospitality, delivered through thoughtful digital experiences.

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