Case study · Historic hospitality · Jefferson, Texas
The Steamboat Inn
Stay within the moment. Translating old-world hospitality into a clearer digital booking experience — and building the search and measurement systems needed to improve it over time.
The measured outcome
Business growth accompanied by stronger digital signals.
During the measured quarter, The Steamboat Inn recorded approximately 33% quarter-over-quarter sales growth. Over the same period, organic-search performance and unique-visitor metrics improved across Google Search Console and PostHog.
The sales result reflects the combined effect of the website, ongoing search optimization, marketing activity, and broader business conditions. OrcaNova's work contributed through design, development, technical SEO, measurement, and iteration; it should not be interpreted as the sole cause of the increase.
“The new website and search strategy have completely shifted how we book. Even during our traditional summer off-season, the inn has remained consistently busy.”
— Lana Mushik, Owner, The Steamboat Inn
Measured monthly organic search click referrals.
Total search appearances in Google results.
01 · The rooms surface
Each room, its own story — and a clear path to booking.
The live rooms page presents each accommodation with period character and the practical details a guest needs: bed configuration, capacity, availability, and a direct booking path. Names and descriptions below are taken from the live site.
- Magnolia Room
- Queen + daybed · sleeps 3
- Walk-in shower · magnolia floral motif · decorative fireplace.
- Mittie Stephens Room
- King canopy · sleeps 2
- French-quarter accents, clawfoot tub, private porch access.
- Victorian Garden Room
- King + twin daybed · sleeps 3
- Soft floral accents, fireplace, pink clawfoot tub.
Responsive
Old-world charm, on a modern phone.
Most guests plan their stay from their pocket. The site carries its photography, room detail, and booking flow onto mobile — shown here as captured from the live homepage.
02 · The challenge
Make booking feel as welcoming as the stay.
The historic inn needed a digital experience that could communicate its character while helping guests quickly understand the rooms, amenities, location, and path to booking. It also needed cleaner visibility into how search discovery translated into site visits and commercial outcomes.
03 · The response
One connected growth surface.
OrcaNova designed and built the official website around room discovery, trust, and clear booking actions. The work extended beyond launch into search-performance improvements and analytics instrumentation, using Google Search Console and PostHog to identify changes in discovery and unique visitors.