Sunbay Hotel was a breeze to build with MODx Revolution

Hi all, my first website built with MODx (built on Revolution), launched back in September this year.

http://sunbaybarbados.com/

A bit of a Background Story

I found MODx this year after looking for an open source CMS that could give me more control over the HTML/CSS/JS it outputs than I had at the time with the CMS I was using for all client projects (Drupal). The catalyst for my search was a new client who had very strict requirements for SEO, standards-compliancy and HTML/CSS structure. I’ve used Expression Engine before and considered it as an option but this client is also a huge fan of open source and wanted me to find her an open source CMS. Based on a number of online reviews, MODx seemed like the ideal solution. At the time, Revolution was still at RC so I took Evolution for a spin and in no time I was hooked. I actually took Revo. RC for a spin too but because it was not yet at stable release I installed Evo. for the client and started my development.

Before her site was completed however, Revolution 2.0.0 stable was released and I wanted to test drive it to see if it was stable "enough" to upgrade my client’s Evo. installation to Revo. As if someone heard my subconscious I immediately had another one of my clients contact me to do a small four-page website for a Hotel they are opening here in Barbados in February, 2011.

"The website is to be very simple", he said, "merely to be used as a Hotel pre-opening marketing and advertising tool, and with a simplified reservation form". "Sure! Anything for one of my most loyal clients. That’ll be #### dollars."

He agreed on the price and off I went. After completing the design mockups and getting him to agree on them, I was ready to whip up a one-day Drupal website when it hit me; you know, why don’t I set up his site on MODx Revolution! His site is perfect for me to test the waters of Revo. before jumping into the deep end. So... I did just that, and http://sunbaybarbados.com/ is the result.

The (Super-Simple) Site Structure

• Home page
• About the Hotel
• Reservation Booking Form
• Thank You page

Add-ons Used

• FormIt
• getResourceField
• getResources
• IE6NoMore
• MetaX
• TinyMCE
• Wayfinder

hi mate, well done, good job.

next time I am in Barbados I am there!

Hi SEO in Sydney,

Thanks for the positive feedback!

Nice site, nice tropical colors!
A room rates page would be nice...
would increase the number of bookings.

Thanks for the feedback Charliez!

The rates are now being finalized, once they are my client plans to add a rates page. Our government here in Barbados went through an "economic reform" this year and in anticipation of that I believe my client wanted to see the impact it would have on our tax rates before making a final decision on the Hotel rates. Now that Government has dished out their budget proposals my client is finalizing the Hotel rates.