A Guest-First Booking Experience for Canyon Spirit

Therefore was tasked with creating a digital experience that seamlessly blended high-conversion ecommerce flows, immersive storytelling, and an intuitive interface across devices. Every design and development decision was shaped by the need to balance commerce with narrative, ensuring that guests could not only discover and book their journey with ease but also feel immersed in the story of the American Southwest.

Building an Integrated, Multi-Brand Ecommerce System

A key challenge in the project was developing a multi-brand checkout system that served both Canyon Spirit and Rocky Mountaineer guests while maintaining brand consistency. Built as a CMS-agnostic solution powered by the Kaptio ecommerce API, the checkout experience was designed to work seamlessly across both brands while allowing flexibility during the transition period.

For guests booking 2025 journeys on the Rocky Mountaineer website, the checkout process retains Rocky Mountaineer branding, ensuring a familiar and cohesive experience. Meanwhile, 2026 packages—available exclusively on the Canyon Spirit website—adopt a Canyon Spirit-branded checkout journey, aligning with the new brand identity.

Although both checkouts share the same underlying system, each features unique content tailored to its respective brand, ensuring guests receive the right information, visuals, and messaging. This approach allows the Canyon Spirit team to strategically manage sales across both brands while providing a seamless transition for travelers as the new brand takes shape.

Creating a Frictionless Path to Booking

With a limited number of available packages, the website didn't require a complex search system. Instead, Therefore designed a guided navigation experience, allowing guests to explore each of the Destinations to be experienced on the Rockies to the Red Rocks route, on their way to finding and exploring packages. Each package detail page was thoughtfully structured to present essential trip information while keeping the booking path clear and inviting. Guests could easily configure their trip, explore package inclusions, and seamlessly transition to purchase.

Designing for Every Device

The Canyon Spirit audience skews toward a 50+ demographic, meaning usability and accessibility across devices were paramount. The website was designed to adapt to each platform's strengths, ensuring a frictionless experience whether viewed on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device.

A standout feature of the digital experience is an interactive route map, which allows guests to visually explore the rail journey on desktop. Recognizing that a complex map interface could be cumbersome on mobile, Therefore designed a mobile-friendly alternative that presents the route as a structured listing. This approach ensures that guests on any device can engage with the journey in a way that feels natural and intuitive.

Bringing the Journey to Life Through Storytelling

Beyond functionality, the website needed to capture the essence of the Canyon Spirit experience—the sweeping landscapes, the luxury of the onboard service, and the magic of train travel through the American Southwest. Therefore developed a content-rich storytelling approach, using immersive photography, compelling narratives, and interactive elements to bring the journey to life.

Storytelling plays a bigger role than just serving up inspiration; it plays a crucial role in the decision-making process, reinforcing why Canyon Spirit is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and helping to move guests from curiosity to conversion.

Excitement for the Future

This project was a close collaboration between Therefore and Armstrong Collective, ensuring that the digital experience aligned with brand and audience goals while integrating seamlessly with Kaptio’s inventory and booking system.

The website has been built with long-term scalability in mind. The modular, CMS-agnostic approach ensures flexibility for future enhancements, new features, and evolving guest needs meaning it’s launch  is just the beginning. With a strong foundation in ecommerce, UX, and storytelling, the platform is designed to evolve, whether through more personalized booking flows, expanded content features, or AI-driven guest recommendations.

By blending commerce with narrative and optimizing every touchpoint of the digital journey, Therefore has helped ensure that booking a Canyon Spirit journey is as unforgettable as the trip itself.