Redesigning the Guest Arrival Experience

Summary

Guests arriving at Center Parcs often experienced stress during check-in. Long queues, unclear steps, and missing information created a poor first impression. I led the redesign of the online check-in experience, streamlining the process, reducing anxiety, and improving operational efficiency.

Key outcomes:

• 54% reduction in peak-time reception queues

• 75,000+ successful online check-ins within three months

• 38% decrease in check-in-related support tickets

• +1.2 CSAT increase for arrival experience

• £250K projected annual operational savings

The Challenge: Making the First Moment Count

The check-in process is the guest’s first real interaction with the holiday experience, yet it was causing frustration for both visitors and staff. Guests were anxious, uncertain, and often waiting in long queues. Staff were overwhelmed managing multiple check-in channels and troubleshooting errors.

My goal was to design a seamless, human-centered experience that made guests feel confident from the moment they arrived while supporting staff efficiency.

Understanding Guests and Staff

To tackle the challenge, I led a discovery phase that combined both qualitative and quantitative research. I analyzed support tickets and NPS scores, conducted interviews with guests and front-of-house staff, and shadowed on-site arrivals.

Key insights from research:

• Guests needed multiple access points to the check-in process to accommodate different levels of tech comfort.

• Clear, step-by-step guidance reduced anxiety and confusion.

• Error states should be reassuring, offering practical solutions rather than leaving guests stuck.

These insights directly informed the design strategy, guiding the flow, interaction patterns, and even the tone of copy across the experience.

Designing a Seamless Check-in Flow

I began translating insights into prototypes for mobile-first, step-by-step flows. Each iteration was tested with guests and staff, surfacing friction points and opportunities for simplification.

One critical decision was to provide multiple access routes (booking reference or account login), ensuring flexibility for guests. Error states were carefully crafted with calming microcopy and backup instructions, so even when technical issues arose, guests could still progress confidently.

By embedding guidance directly into the flow and removing unnecessary steps, the platform reduced cognitive load and made the check-in experience feel like a supportive guide rather than a stressful task.

Building a Scalable System

While focusing on guest-facing flows, I also developed a modular design system to ensure consistency across screens and devices. I collaborated with engineers to create interactions and components that were predictable, reusable, and scalable, allowing future features to be added without redesigning core flows.

This approach ensured:

• Consistency across mobile and desktop check-in experiences

• Predictable interactions that reduced guest errors

• A foundation for ongoing growth and feature expansion

Visual Suggestion: Component library screenshot or style guide highlighting modular design.

Outcomes & Impact

The redesigned check-in experience delivered tangible results for both guests and the business:

• Peak-time reception queues dropped by 54%

• Over 75,000 successful online check-ins in the first three months

• Check-in-related support tickets decreased by 38%

• CSAT for the arrival experience increased by +1.2 points

• Projected annual operational savings of £250K

Beyond metrics, the platform created a more confident, reassuring arrival experience for guests while making staff workflows smoother and more predictable.

Reflection

Redesigning the Center Parcs check-in reinforced the importance of empathy-driven design. By observing guests in context, testing iterations, and collaborating with staff and engineers, I was able to create an experience that was both human-centered and operationally efficient.

This project showed how thoughtful design can improve both user satisfaction and business outcomes, transforming a stressful touchpoint into a seamless, welcoming start to the holiday experience.