Skinning/Branding/Themes

(Not applicable to XML or API Users)

Booking Engine Users ONLY - When your account is created it has a generic look and feel. The look and feel is what we'll refer to as the site's skin.
We provide two levels of service outlined below.

Services provided at no charge:

Alliance will deploy one of our existing skins with your site's existing header and footer at no charge. The header and footer Html and images must be provided by you in order for us to be able to implement in to the skin. After choosing from the default skins listed below, fill out our branding form and submit your exact HTML for the header and footer you will be using for the skin you choose. Please also include any images or JavaScript files the header or footer may refer to (path every image or JavaScript file to "/appSkins/YOUR SITE ID/v6/themes/standard/images/FILE NAME"). Please note that the Default Skins are set up to to fit headers with a width set at 980px.

* NEW * You may also edit your own skin
Log in using your normal Affiliate Admin login. Be sure that you have the correct site id selected by checking the upper right side navigation. Once you are certain you are in the correct site id, select "Skinning/Branding" from the navigation. Here you are able to edit all files associated with your skin. After editing any of the files you are working with, click "Save", then "Publish". The edits will be applied and pushed to production immediately.
Read more about using the Affiliate App Skinning section
*WARNING There may be a skinning bug that is causing a customized skin to be overwritten. Please make sure you backup all of your skin files.

An example of what the Header code could look like:
<div class="ArnHeader">
<table width="980" height="100">
  <tr>
    <td>
      <a href="http://WEBSITE ADDRESS.com"><img src="/appSkins/YOURSITEID/v6/themes/standard/images/header.gif"></a>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>
< /div>

If no skin number is specified upon request, the default ‘Skin 1’ will be deployed. Alliance does not provide any web development during skins deployment; we will deploy the exact code you submit in the form. It is your responsibility to ensure your code doesn’t have bugs and that the layout is correct. If your HTML breaks the skin or doesn’t look right, resubmit corrected HTML and we will upload to your skin.
This service being provided at no charge only applies to first time skins. Any skins already set up that any need custom work, please review the Custom Work section toward the bottom of the page

CSS:

For your reference, please review what a regular skin looks like without any css applied. Also, refer to the property page that has no css styling applied to it either. This can give you a better idea as to how much the css controls on the site.

To better accommodate cross browser functionality, we have specific hacks for both Internet Explorer and Web Kit (Safari/Chrome). When an element needs to be changed specific to Internet Explorer, simply add a .IE in front of the style in the style sheet.

EXAMPLE:
.ArnHeader {
    position:absolute;
    top:20px;
    left:120px;
}
.IE .ArnHeader {
    top: 46px;
    left:140px;
}

For any changes to Safari or Chrome, simply add .WK in front of the style in the style sheet.

EXAMPLE:
.ArnHeader {
    position:absolute;
    top:20px;
    left:120px;
}
.WK .ArnHeader {
    top: 68px;
    left:126px;
}

Default Skins

Skin 1

Skin 2 (Used primarily for Meta search Sites linking directly to a Hotel Property Page)

Skin 3

Skin 4

Skin 5

Skin 6

Skin 7

Custom Design Work:

Any additional work needed from Alliance will be considered Custom Design Work. This work will bill the client at $95 dollars an hour with a minimum 1-hour charge. Alliance has web developers on staff that can work with you to build a highly customized skin that more closely matches your existing web site if you decide one of our existing skins just isn't suitable for your situation. To initiate custom work, just fax a filled out work order form with a signature approving the work and a credit card to be billed and put on file. Please provide a specific scope of work necessary for our web developer to complete. Details from the client about what is expected from our web developer is absolutely necessary before we can begin to work on the custom skin.

Some custom work that you may want to consider:

Groups or advanced users can add many features to their skin.
Advanced CSS can be used to skin the site to look more like the webpage being branded. Customize the entire look and feel of the page, insert a custom phone number, or customize the look of the search form or right side banners.

Options:

custom CSS to alter anything on the skin
customized background image
Rootpage/Search Background Image
custom phone number to replace the default number that appears when a property is sold out
custom HTML for the right navigation

Message Files:
Message Files are text messages that appear near the top of the page between the header and map. These files can add a better descriptions to searches or to give instructions to your participants or users.

Custom images can provide a look more accurate to the web page being branded.

Examples:

Special Event Hotel Identification Image
Host Hotel Identification Image
Co Host Hotel Identification Image

These images display just under the price section of a hotel in the hotel results list. If the file name is altered, then uploaded, please adjust the style sheet accordingly and submit the css through the previous form.

Hosting:

Hosting your skin on Alliance's servers is provided at no charge. If you have your own hosting for both http and https, you can skin and host your own CSS so your designers have complete real-time control of your skin. You must submit a CSS file to Alliance with the correct CSS imports included for this to work correctly.

Skin Themes:

If you are a single company with many websites that need different branding, only, you can use a Theme to initiate the design. This is a way to avoid having to create and setup a new account for each branded skin. The Theme does not impact the the account settings - JUST the branding (overall look).
To view the Theme once it's created, simply add &theme=THEMENAME to the booking engine URL.
Set up a Theme for your site id.

Contact Design