Gorski Brlog: a brand for two houses in the woods

01 · The problem

Visible on Booking, but paying for every guest

Booking and Airbnb are where most travellers start, so a rental that isn't listed there barely exists. They take a large share of every reservation (around 15% on Booking), but only when the booking is made through their system. Listing and presenting the property there costs nothing.

So the strategy was to use the platforms for what they're good at, visibility, and give guests a reason to book directly. For example, a 5% discount for booking directly is still cheaper for the owner than the platform's commission. The platforms don't allow contact before a booking, so the property had to be easy to find elsewhere: Google Maps, TripAdvisor, Instagram, and above all its own website and brand.

02 · Positioning

Deciding who it's for

The owner decides who books, through how the place presents itself. Gorski Brlog is for families with children, nature lovers and active people who are happy to pay a premium for something unique: a villa with a jacuzzi, forest at the door, space for kids to play safely and clean mountain air. The website says all of that clearly. It can also say, politely, who the place isn't for.

Picture Turkish Airlines next to Wizz Air: the same business, a completely different audience, different needs and a very different price.

03 · Logo

Wolf + bear, one line

A brlog is a den, so the mark is two of the forest's residents sharing one outline: a wolf and a bear drawn as a single continuous line. It’s minimal enough to work as a small profile picture, and it has enough character to sit large on a dark brown cover.

04 · Identity

Warm, dark and a little bit playful

The palette comes from the place itself: dark bark brown, a warm cream and a golden yellow accent. Simple mushroom and tree shapes add a bit of fairytale forest, so the brand feels cosy and a little playful. The same system runs across the website, Instagram and product packaging concepts for local specialities like dried porcini and mountain tea.

05 · Website

Informative, simple, full of photos

A rental website has one job: help people picture themselves there, then make it easy to ask. The custom Webflow site leads with a clear promise: "far enough to be hidden, close enough to endless enjoyment of untouched nature". It then walks through the rooms, the activities around the houses and the local food, with lots of big photos.

Guests who still book through Booking or Airbnb aren't a loss. They leave reviews that make the listing more visible, and after one stay they trust the place enough to book directly next time.

06 · Launch

Google Ads that made the phone ring

With the brand and the site in place, I ran a Google Ads campaign on the searches the target guests actually type when looking for a stay in the mountains. It worked better than anyone expected: people started getting in touch in large numbers, directly and without a platform in between.

07 · Takeaways

A brand is a booking strategy