Ben Minton, Creative Designer at Sequence has had his work showcased in this month’s edition of .net, the UK’s leading publication for web professionals. Ben was asked to take part in the magazine’s website build-off section in which three web designers are challenged to tackle the same brief.

For the April edition of the magazine Ben was given the brief to mock up a homepage for a hotel site. The hotel was allowed to be any size but visitors had to get excited about staying there and be able to discover details about rooms, facilities, events and special promotions. Working to this brief Ben designed The Alcazar, a fictitious Las Vegas hotel aimed at high-rollers and those wanting a fun and typical Vegas-style holiday.

Speaking about the challenge, Ben said, "The hotel business is very competitive, and we're pretty much spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing one for a well deserved break. With this in mind I set out to create a site that made an instant impact and promoted the hotel's main selling points within a visually striking design."

Called The Alcazar (the Spanish word for Palace) Ben created a big and bold brand to reflect the hotel's contemporary outlook and modern design. Exquisitely designed inside and out, Ben wanted to showcase the hotel’s fictitious breathtaking architecture so positioned the gallery section at the top of the homepage. The gallery allows users to scroll through various thumbnails and enlarge photos of interest to them.

Richard Baker, Managing Director of Sequence said: "Ben has created a design which is stunning, dramatic and eye-catching. .net is a respected magazine in our industry, delivering cutting edge features; his work deservedly sits well in the magazine."

Other key features on the site include the availability check which is located below the welcome text on the homepage. Potential guests are able to easily check if the hotel is available on selected dates then move swiftly to the online booking system.

To see more of Ben’s fictitious luxury hotel, the April edition of .net is on sale now or you can view a PDF of the feature.