Field Notes · A series
Lodging website studies
After each trip, I check the websites of the independent places to stay around where we went, on a phone, the way a guest planning a trip would. Same free check every time, so the areas line up side by side.
Every study so far
Newest first. Each row links to the full study, with the trip, the charts and what I'd fix first.
| Area | Properties | Median phone score | Scored 90+ | Main content shows | Homepage weight | Dead Book links | Tell Google it's lodging |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiery Gizzard State Park, TNOct 26, 2026 | 31 | 53 | 0 of 26 | 11.7 sec | 5.3 MB | 5 of 20 | 8 of 26 |
| Hill Country, TXOct 19, 2026 | 97 | 57 | 4 of 87 | 12.4 sec | 4.3 MB | 4 of 73 | 23 of 89 |
Medians come from Google PageSpeed Insights on a simulated phone, one test per homepage. “Main content shows” is Largest Contentful Paint, and Google's good mark is 2.5 seconds. “Dead Book links” counts homepages with at least one Book link that went nowhere or was broken, out of homepages with Book links.
- Fiery Gizzard State Park · 31 propertiesWe hiked Fiery Gizzard. Then I checked 31 lodging websites around it.We camped at Fiery Gizzard and checked 31 lodging websites nearby on a phone. None scored 90, and 1 in 4 with Book links had one that went nowhere.Read the study
- Hill Country · 97 propertiesI checked 97 Hill Country lodging websites on a phone. Here’s what I found.I checked 97 Hill Country lodging websites on a phone. Most book direct, but the median speed score was 57 and only 4 scored 90 or higher.Read the study
What keeps showing up
Slow on a phone
In every area so far, the typical homepage takes more than 9 seconds to show its main content on a simulated phone. The usual cause is big photos and background video sized for a desktop.
Book buttons that don’t book
Most Book buttons work. But every area had homepages where at least one went nowhere or was broken, and it only takes one for a guest to give up.
Google has to guess
In every area, fewer than a third of homepages had the small piece of code that tells Google and AI tools this is a place to stay.
The bigger pattern is harder to chart. Every one of these places has a story worth telling: a trail from the back door, a creek you can hear from the porch, an owner who knows the river. Most of it lives in photos or in the owner's head, not in words Google and AI tools can read. That's the part I'd fix first.
Questions
What are the Firsthand Stays lodging website studies?
A series of small studies of independent lodging websites near places my family has visited. After each trip, I run the cabins, inns, campgrounds and glamping sites around the area through the same free website check, on a simulated phone, and write up what I found. No properties are named unless I write about them in a positive light.
How are the properties chosen?
I start with local tourism and chamber of commerce lodging lists, then search Google for cabins, inns, B&Bs, campgrounds, RV parks and glamping in each nearby town. I keep independent properties that have their own website, and leave out Airbnb- and Vrbo-only listings, chains, booking sites and managers with properties in several states.
Can I check my own website the same way?
Yes. The free Firsthand Stays website check runs the same tests on any homepage: Google’s phone speed score, where every Book button leads, and whether the page has a tap-to-call number, an email link and lodging details for Google and AI tools.
See how your site would do in the next study
The free website check runs the same tests on your homepage in about 30 seconds. No email needed.
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