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Red Sea Global: Connected Guest Experience

The Challenge

Saudi Arabia's flagship regenerative tourism project. 8+ luxury destinations across 28,000+ km² had fragmented operations, 30+ disconnected systems, zero unified booking, and 50+ documented visitor pain points.

How do you create a seamless ecosystem experience across owned properties and international hotel brands serving projected 1M+ annual visitors?

My Role

Creative Strategy & UI Lead on Valtech's 10-person discovery team. Led experience vision definition, journey mapping, and UI prototype design demonstrating the connected experience across web and mobile touchpoints.

Strategic Approach

Immersive Research Foundation:

• 14 on-site destination tours experiencing Saudi hafawah firsthand

• 35+ stakeholder interviews across Commercial, Hospitality, Technology teams

• 6 luxury hospitality benchmarks (Aman, Four Seasons, Disney Parks)

• 14 future trend reports on regenerative tourism and travel behavior

Synthesis & Vision:

• Defined 4 experience pillars: Responsive & Personalized, Inclusive & Authentic, Holistic Wellness, Tailored for Every Guest

• Created Guest Profile Matrix: 12 persona types (Regional/Overseas/Accessible Travelers × Affluent Family/Couple Getaway/Large Group/Short Trip)

• Mapped 10 experience moments spanning pre-visit → post-visit journey

• Identified 90+ opportunity areas with prioritization framework

Design Execution:

• Interactive website prototypes: Immersive storytelling, multi-destination booking, unified itinerary builder

• Mobile app prototypes: Context-driven home, smart itinerary, AI concierge chat, gamified Destination Passport

• Design system foundations establishing visual language for ecosystem

The Impact

Strategic Foundation:

• 2-year transformation roadmap with clear quarterly milestones
• Unified booking engine architecture across 1st and 3rd party properties
• Customer Data Platform strategy enabling personalization at scale
• Target KPIs: 70+ NPS, 90%+ CSAT, 3-5% booking conversion

Organizational Alignment:

• Brought 15+ fragmented teams around unified vision
• Resolved months of political gridlock through data-driven prioritization
• Secured executive buy-in for multi-million dollar technology transformation

Experience Innovation:

• "Mobility on call" across all transport modes (boats, buggies, vehicles)
• Gamified "Destination Passport" tracking experiences and achievements
• Wellness mode with AI-powered rest recommendations
• Post-visit engagement through loyalty, e-commerce, and subscriptions

Design Deliverables:

• 15+ high-fidelity website screens demonstrating booking flow
• 20+ mobile app screens showing dynamic experience
• Service blueprints orchestrating 50+ touchpoints
• Technology architecture diagram with 7 integrated platforms

What Made It Work

Ruthless Prioritization: With 90+ opportunities, we focused on "fix the basics first, then differentiate"—delivering guest value faster while building toward long-term vision.

Ecosystem Thinking: Designing for 8+ independent destinations with dozens of operators required fundamentally different approach than single-property hospitality projects.

Prototypes That Convinced: Interactive prototypes made the abstract tangible—executives could see and feel the connected experience, making budget approval straightforward.

Business Outcomes Focus: Every recommendation tied to measurable impact on guest satisfaction, revenue growth, or operational efficiency—speaking the language of CFO and CEO, not just design team.

Duration: 12 weeks (Discovery Phase) → 2-year implementation roadmap
Client: Red Sea Global, Saudi Arabia
Agency: Valtech MENA
Date: July 2024

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