Maverix developed an ambitious digital strategy with one clear goal: to make De Bergenske less dependent on third-party platforms through a sharp increase in direct sales.
New digital platform
gave record sales for
DE BERGENSKE
New digital platform
gave record sales for
DE BERGENSKE
- Cases
- New digital booking platform gave record sales for DE BERGENSKE
With a new digital booking platform and the concept “Vi er Bergen” (We are Bergen), the hotel and restaurant family De Bergenske has increased direct sales by 23 percent in a short time.
“We had record sales after the launch. The results came much faster than we had expected, and the platform has given us strong growth,” says hotel director Kjetil Smørås.
Unique and iconic hotels
Maverix has delivered a creative concept and a new digital booking platform, based on X Machina and Storyblok.
De Bergenske consists of six unique and iconic hotels in Bergen, such as Bergen Børs Hotel, Zander K, Villa Terminus and Grand Hotel Terminus. They also own a long list of well-known restaurants in the capital of Western Norway. Everyone in Bergen has eaten in what has been named the most beautiful room in the world: Frescohallen, and recently the restaurant Omakase by Sergey Pak was awarded a Michelin star.
The results for De Bergenske have been so good that gold in tourism marketing was won this spring. Read more: De Bergenske and Maverix won gold at HSMAI
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The challenge:
Like all other tourism players, De Bergenske competes in a market marked by high competition. Aggregators that sell hotel rooms take their share of the cake, while De Bergenske’s previous booking platform neither inspired nor sold optimally.
Read more: Visit Norway and Maverix won gold in the World Cup of tourism marketing
De Bergenske’s previous digital presence was fragmented, with an uninspiring booking platform and a deficient SEO structure and opportunities. The hotel family needed a comprehensive digital strategy to increase direct sales and strengthen its visibility and position in the market.
We developed the unifying concept “Vi er Bergen” (We are Bergen), a creative and inspiring platform that ties De Bergenske’s unique hotels and restaurants together with the city’s rich culture and experience offering.
All restaurants and hotels have their own brand-new booking and inspiration pages. On the same platform, but with their own unique design.
The unique characteristics of each hotel and restaurant are highlighted and presented in an inspiring way.
A digital lift overnight
De Bergenske’s director, Kjetil Smørås, is delighted with both the collaboration and the results.
“We have had a massive digital lift overnight and are very happy with the collaboration with Maverix. We never expected results so fast. They work systematically and purposefully, which has given us a strong increase in digital visibility and far better results,” says Smørås.
Tripling of unique visitors
In addition to direct sales having grown by 23%, there has also been a very strong increase in visits to the new website. Measured against the same period last year, the number of unique visitors has grown from 244,000 to 764,000, more than a tripling.
Read more: Want to know more about the effect of scrollytelling?
“Maverix has had overall responsibility for our new digital strategy. The result is that we now appear the way we want and the way we want our guests to see us. We have finally got help to visualise what we feel we stand for,” says general manager YngveHansen.
The solution:
Maverix mobilised a complete team of digital specialists, from technology strategists and SEO experts to UX designers and content producers. Together we built a powerful digital platform meant to sell rooms and to inspire many unique Bergen experiences in art, culture and activities.
Read more: New digital platform for Festspillene i Bergen
Starting from tourism’s nine international segments and target groups, we developed a comprehensive site map and a detailed SEO strategy. We gathered all separate websites under one strong domain. And we created a content-rich digital experience that conveys everything exciting Bergen has to offer, far beyond the hotels’ own walls.
Measures:
New SEO-optimised booking platform with an integrated booking solution for hotels and restaurants
Integrated SEO, AEO and SEM strategy
Systematic content marketing strategy
Targeted media, social media and newsletter campaigns
Retargeting advertising
Development of new nightlife and dining concepts with accompanying profiles
Continuous optimisation of customer journeys, campaigns and content
Technological innovation:
Maverix has developed X Machina , a digital platform that gathers all tools for analytics, SEO, content production, publishing, media bank and conversion optimisation in one and the same solution. The platform is built on several world-leading international tools: Storyblok as CMS and Cloudinary as DAM, which ensures fast response and flexibility in content management.
Read more: Storyblok creates outstanding customer experiences
Integrated booking systems
To create a seamless user experience, we have integrated De Bergenske’s existing booking systems, BookVisit and Gastroplanner, with campaign pages and advertising content. This makes it possible to follow the customer journey from inspiration to booking, while the CRM systems secure all customer data.
It normally takes 8 to 10 months to see the results of a digital relaunch, but with X Machina we could document an effect already after the first month. The platform allows continuous optimisation based on real-time data, and De Bergenske is one of many clients now using this technology to increase their digital value creation.
Want to know more? Kontakt oss!
+23% direct sales
+1,500% visibility
Tripling in visitors
+213% clicks
The results above are drawn from Google Search Console, Piwik Pro, Ahrefs and Book Visit. In addition to these figures there is exceptionally strong growth in restaurant bookings via Gastroplanner.
Digital direct sales:
The new digital platform, supported by targeted content marketing and SEO optimisation, has increased digital direct sales from its own platform by a full 23% compared with the same period before. The average daily value of hotel bookings has so far in 2025 grown by 50.5%.
Read more: 14 SEO myths you must stop believing in 2025
Digital visibility
The strategy for SEO, AEO and SEM has resulted in sharp growth in both organic and paid traffic. The number of top three organic positions at Google has grown from around 50 to over 800, a growth of more than 1,500 percent, and strong proof of how effective the effort has been.
Comprehensive SEO and content strategy with a seasonal annual wheel
To establish De Bergenske as the dominant digital player for Bergen as a travel destination, Maverix developed a comprehensive content strategy. The strategy combined systematic SEO work with seasonal content production through a structured annual wheel, which ensured steady production and publishing of guide material adapted to different tourist seasons and search intent through the year.
Watch the full case film for the winning project:
The content strategy included production of in-depth branded content guides covering Bergen’s cultural and natural attractions: from “Byens syv fjell” (The City’s Seven Mountains) and “Bergen’s best hikes” to more niche guides about restaurants, shopping, family activities and the city centre. Each production was strategically SEO-optimised for specific search phrases linked to Bergen as a destination, while the material also served as valuable inspiration for potential guests.
The guides were structured and published according to an annual wheel that matched seasonal variations in search behaviour, with emphasis on mountain hikes and green areas in the spring and summer season, cultural activities and restaurant guides towards the autumn season, and destination content optimised for the planning phase in the winter half-year.
Paid search
Paid search is a central driver of conversion and brand exposure. Through optimisation of budget, campaign structure, target groups and ad messages we have strengthened total traffic by 13 percent. This has directly resulted in a 9.5 percent increase in hotel bookings, a full 30 percent rise in restaurant reservations, 16 percent more enquiries for event venues, and 12 percent growth in meeting rooms, courses and conferences.
Google Business
Google Business is a key component in the tourism industry and entirely essential for local SEO. We have structured and optimised profiles for all of De Bergenske’s hotels and restaurants, including rich content, images and ongoing updates. The result is a 10 percent increase in visits, in addition to the significant traffic that comes via the map function, directions and direct interactions with the business profiles.
In summary:
Through strategic use of digital measures we have increased De Bergenske’s digital visibility and sales, and we have created a new standard for how traditional tourism players can take control of their own digital distribution. The project demonstrates how a comprehensive approach to digital transformation can create measurable results and lasting added value for tourism players.
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Questions and answers
How did De Bergenske increase direct sales?
With a new digital booking platform and the concept “Vi er Bergen”, De Bergenske increased direct sales by 23 percent in a short time. Hotel director Kjetil Smørås says the results came much faster than expected.
What is Vi er Bergen?
Vi er Bergen (We are Bergen) is the creative concept Maverix developed for De Bergenske, which gathers the hotels and restaurants under one clear identity.
What technology is the platform built on?
The booking platform is built on X Machina and Storyblok. Also read how De Bergenske got 52 percent more clicks from Google.
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