Project overview
Kotos is a Kadazan homestay located in Penampang, Sabah. The project focused on creating a clear and inviting website that introduces Kotos as a cultural homestay experience while making it easier for visitors to explore the available rooms, understand the space, and enquire about booking the entire house.
My role in this project was to plan the website structure, design the user experience, organize the content, and build a responsive website that presents Kotos in a warm, trustworthy, and easy-to-navigate way.
Opportunity
Before the website, Kotos needed a stronger online presence where potential guests could learn about the homestay beyond social media or word of mouth. The goal was to create a website that could act as a central place for important information, including the available rooms, gallery, reviews, contact details, and the story behind Kotos.
The main opportunity was to make the homestay feel more accessible and bookable online while still preserving its cultural identity as a Kadazan home in Penampang. The website needed to balance practical booking information with a sense of heritage, warmth, and place.
Goals
The main goals of the website were to:
- Present Kotos as a Kadazan homestay rooted in culture, comfort, and local heritage
- Help visitors understand that they can book the entire house
- Showcase the available rooms in a simple and organized way
- Include a gallery so guests can visually explore the space before enquiring
- Create an About page that explains what Kotos is, who it is for, and the story behind the house
- Add a contact form to make enquiries easier
- Connect visitors to Kotos’ Google Business profile for reviews and credibility
Process
I started by thinking through what a potential guest would need to know before making an enquiry. This helped shape the website structure into key pages: Home, Rooms, Gallery, Reviews, About, and Contact.
The homepage was designed to give visitors a quick understanding of what Kotos offers. From there, users can explore the rooms, browse the gallery, learn more about the homestay, or contact the business directly.
For the rooms section, I focused on making the booking information clear by showing the available rooms and positioning the house as a full-property booking option. This helps reduce confusion and makes it easier for visitors to understand how they can stay at Kotos.
The gallery was included to support visual decision-making. Since homestays are often chosen based on atmosphere, comfort, and setting, the gallery gives visitors a better feel of the space before they reach out.
For the reviews page, I created a link to the Google Business profile instead of building a full review page immediately. This allows visitors to access existing reviews from a trusted external source while leaving room for a more developed reviews page in the future.
Design and development direction
The design direction focused on creating a warm, clean, and culturally grounded website experience. Since Kotos is connected to Kadazan heritage and the natural surroundings of Penampang, the website needed to feel welcoming, calm, and rooted in place.
I focused on:
- A simple page structure so visitors can find information quickly
- Clear navigation across the main pages
- A visual layout that supports storytelling and booking intent
- Gallery-led sections to highlight the homestay atmosphere
- Clear contact points for enquiries
- Mobile-friendly layouts for guests browsing from their phones
- A balance between cultural identity and modern usability
The website was built with the goal of feeling approachable, informative, and easy to use. Instead of overloading visitors with too much text, the structure guides them through the most important information step by step.
Key website sections
Home page
The homepage introduces Kotos as a Kadazan homestay in Penampang and gives visitors an immediate sense of what the place offers. It acts as the main entry point, guiding users to explore the rooms, gallery, about page, and contact form.
Rooms page
The rooms page presents the available rooms and helps visitors understand how the house can be booked. The goal was to make the accommodation details clearer and support enquiries from guests who may be interested in booking the entire house.
Gallery page
The gallery gives potential guests a visual preview of Kotos. This helps build trust and gives visitors a better sense of the space, atmosphere, and overall experience before they decide to enquire.
Reviews page
The reviews page currently links to Kotos’ Google Business profile. This helps direct visitors to a trusted source where they can read existing reviews and learn from other guests’ experiences.
About page
The About page gives visitors more context about Kotos, its background, and what makes it meaningful. This section helps the website feel more personal and connected to its Kadazan identity instead of presenting it as just another homestay.
Contact page
The contact page includes a form so visitors can easily send enquiries. This supports the business goal of turning website visitors into potential guests by making the next step simple and accessible.
Key contributions
For this project, I contributed to:
- Website strategy and page structure
- User experience planning
- Content organization
- Visual layout design
- Responsive website build
- Contact form setup
- About page structure and storytelling
- Overall website direction and refinement
Final outcome
The final result is a clean, informative, and user-friendly website frame for Kotos. The website gives the homestay a stronger online presence and helps visitors understand what Kotos offers, how the space looks, and how they can make an enquiry.
By organizing the rooms, gallery, reviews, about information, and contact form into a clear website structure, Kotos now has a more professional platform to support future bookings and build trust with potential guests.
The website also creates a foundation that can continue to grow over time, especially once the reviews page is fully developed and more booking or content features are added.
Reflection
This project helped me think more intentionally about how a local cultural homestay should be presented online. The challenge was not only to show the rooms, but also to communicate the story, warmth, and identity behind Kotos.
I wanted the website to feel useful for guests while still feeling connected to the heritage and character of the place. By combining practical booking information with visual storytelling and cultural context, the website gives Kotos a clearer and more meaningful digital presence.