All 5 Firms at a Glance

#1 Work & Co
$$$
Brooklyn, NY
Travel platforms, airlines, hotel groups
Apple · Google · Virgin America · IKEA · Squarespace
#2 Huge
$$$$
New York, NY
Enterprise hospitality, hotel chains, large-scale travel
Google · Delta · Hershey's · HBO
#3 BASIC/DEPT®
$$$$
New York / San Diego / San Francisco
Premium hospitality brands, luxury hotels, lifestyle travel
Premium lifestyle · hospitality · luxury consumer
#4 Fantasy
$$$
New York, NY / San Francisco, CA
Immersive hospitality experiences, travel product launches
Apple · Facebook · Spotify · NBA · Google
#5 Big Drop Inc
$$$
New York, NY / Los Angeles, CA
Hotels, restaurants, travel brands, mid-market hospitality
Hotels · restaurants · travel · hospitality

$$$ = premium · $$$$ = enterprise

Top 5 Web Design Agencies
for Hospitality & Travel

Ranked by our editorial team based on portfolio quality, client outcomes, and industry reputation.

#1
Top Pick
Work & Co

Work & Co

Brooklyn, NY

$$$
Premium

Best For

Travel platforms, airlines, hotel groups, hospitality product

Work & Co is one of the most respected product design and technology firms in the US, with a hospitality and travel practice built on genuine product capability. Their work for Virgin America alone reshaped expectations for what airline digital experiences could look like — and the broader portfolio (Apple, Google, IKEA, Squarespace) demonstrates the range and technical depth behind that reputation. For hospitality and travel brands that need their digital product to perform as beautifully as it looks, Work & Co sets a benchmark in the US market.

Notable clients: Apple · Google · Virgin America · IKEA · Squarespace

Visit work.co
#2
Huge

Huge

New York, NY

$$$$
Enterprise

Best For

Enterprise hospitality, hotel chains, large-scale travel platforms

Huge is one of the most influential enterprise digital experience agencies in the world, with a hospitality and travel practice that includes major hotel chains, airlines, and enterprise travel platforms. Their NYC headquarters handles complex hospitality engagements where the design challenge spans web, mobile, and connected experiences simultaneously — from booking engines to loyalty platforms to on-property digital touchpoints. The right partner for hospitality enterprises that need a strategic digital transformation partner, not just a design vendor.

Notable clients: Google · Delta · Hershey's · HBO

Visit hugeinc.com
#3
BASIC/DEPT®

BASIC/DEPT®

New York / San Diego / San Francisco

$$$$
Enterprise

Best For

Premium hospitality brands, luxury hotels, lifestyle travel

BASIC/DEPT® brings the same premium creative sensibility to hospitality that has made them one of the most recognised agencies in lifestyle and consumer brand work. Their portfolio demonstrates a clear ability to translate physical luxury into digital experience — making them a natural fit for boutique hotel groups, luxury resorts, and travel brands whose audience expects the website to feel as considered as the property itself. Now part of DEPT®, they combine boutique creative with global scale.

Notable clients: Premium lifestyle · hospitality · luxury consumer

Visit basicagency.com
#4
Fantasy

Fantasy

New York, NY / San Francisco, CA

$$$
Premium

Best For

Immersive hospitality experiences, travel product launches, premium brand sites

Fantasy has spent two decades building premium digital products and brand experiences for the world's most demanding clients — Apple, Google, Spotify among them. Their technically ambitious, visually disciplined approach translates powerfully to hospitality and travel, where immersive digital storytelling can directly drive bookings. For hospitality brands launching a new property, travel platform, or premium experience that needs to feel truly exceptional online, Fantasy brings the creative and technical depth to deliver.

Notable clients: Apple · Facebook · Spotify · NBA · Google

Visit fantasy.co
#5
Big Drop Inc

Big Drop Inc

New York, NY / Los Angeles, CA

$$$
Premium

Best For

Hotels, restaurants, travel brands, mid-market hospitality

Big Drop is a bicoastal US digital agency with solid hospitality experience — hotels, restaurants, travel brands, and lifestyle companies where the digital presence needs to evoke atmosphere and drive reservations. Their bicoastal presence in New York and Los Angeles means they understand both major US hospitality markets. A natural fit for mid-market hospitality brands that need a polished, conversion-aware website without committing to enterprise agency pricing.

Notable clients: Hotels · restaurants · travel · hospitality

Visit bigdropinc.com

Best Web Design Agencies by Industry

Every industry has different requirements. We rank the best US web design agencies for each one — based on portfolio quality, client results, and industry reputation.

Our Rankings Are Based on Merit. Nothing Else.

Every firm featured is evaluated against five core criteria. Here is what we look for.

Portfolio Quality

Does their work demonstrate real creative and technical excellence across multiple projects and industries?

Client Results

Can they point to measurable outcomes — improved conversion rates, successful launches, revenue growth tied to redesigns?

Pricing Transparency

Are they honest about their pricing model, even when they don’t publish exact figures?

Communication & Process

Do clients consistently describe smooth, professional engagements from brief to launch?

Range & Fit

Do they have a defined area of strength, and do they consistently deliver within it?

Our evaluation framework is transparent and applied consistently to every firm we assess. Read the full methodology →

Built by people who’ve been inside the industry. Funded by no one else.

This project is run by a small team with deep experience in web design, digital strategy, and product development. We’ve worked at agencies, run in-house design teams, advised startups on their first website builds, and evaluated agency pitches from both sides of the table.

We are not a marketing company. We don’t take advertising. We don’t have referral arrangements with any firm on our list. Our only incentive is to publish rankings people can trust. Read more about us →

Editorial-led rankings

Every ranking is decided by our editorial team.

No commercial relationships

We have no advertising or referral arrangements with any firm listed.

Reviewed twice annually

Q1 and Q3 updates. Firms that slip are removed.

Tips on How to Choose a Web Design Firm

Seven principles for navigating the agency selection process — from someone who’s seen it from both sides.

01

Start with fit, not fame.

The most well-known agency is rarely the best one for your specific project. Match agency size, specialty, and working style to your actual brief — not their client list.

02

Read the case studies, not just the galleries.

Look for evidence of strategy, process, and measurable outcomes — not just polished final screenshots.

03

Ask who will actually work on your project.

Many firms win business at the senior level and deliver at the junior level. Knowing this upfront saves painful surprises.

04

Match firm size to your project weight.

A 200-person agency will treat a $20K project very differently than a 12-person studio will. Be honest about where your budget sits in their hierarchy.

05

Get the full pricing picture before you commit.

Understand what’s included, what triggers extra costs, what the revision policy is, and what post-launch support looks like.

06

Ask for references and ask the hard questions.

Don’t ask “were you happy?” Ask: “Did they hit deadlines? How did they handle problems? Would you use them again for something bigger?”

07

Trust what their communication tells you early.

If a firm is slow to respond, vague in their estimates, or evasive about process during the sales stage — that behaviour doesn’t improve once your money is on the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our top five web design agencies for hospitality and travel in the US are Work & Co, Huge, BASIC/DEPT, Fantasy, and Big Drop Inc. These agencies specialise in creating digital experiences that evoke atmosphere and drive bookings.

Hospitality is one of the few industries where the website directly replaces a physical experience in the decision-making process. Travellers choose hotels, restaurants, and destinations based on what the website makes them feel. A poorly designed hospitality site doesn't just lose bookings — it misrepresents the experience itself.

Hospitality website projects typically cost $40,000–$200,000+ depending on property type and booking complexity. Individual hotels and restaurants might invest $40,000–$80,000. Hotel groups, resort chains, and travel platforms with complex booking integration typically budget $100,000–$250,000+.

Essential features include a seamless booking engine integration, immersive photography and virtual tours, room/suite comparison tools, dining and amenity showcases, event and meeting space information, and mobile-optimised design (since most hotel searches happen on phones). Rate parity with OTAs is also a strategic consideration.

It depends on the product. If you're building a consumer-facing travel platform, product design expertise matters more than hospitality industry experience — agencies like Work & Co and Fantasy bring that capability. If you're launching a boutique hotel or restaurant brand, agencies with lifestyle and hospitality sensibility (like BASIC/DEPT) may be a better fit.

Expect 8–16 weeks for most hospitality projects. Individual property sites might take 8–10 weeks. Hotel groups and travel platforms with booking engine integration, multi-property management, and custom photography can extend to 14–20 weeks.