Published on January 18th, 2023
As the thought of going somewhere new enters your head, what is the first thing that comes to mind? A thrilling and unbelievable adventure at a price anyone can afford. It’s true. Because of its low prices, Airbnb is quickly becoming the go-to website for vacationers looking to rent anything from a studio apartment to a castle during their travels. Unsurprisingly, Developing a Housing Rental App like Airbnb have become thriving ventures, given how many people have longed to see the world. If you’re wondering how to implement this strategy for personal gain, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll closely examine Airbnb’s business model and fundamental features that set it apart so that you can build a similar and distinct platform. Come on, then, and we can get started.
Is It Worth It to Invest in a Vacation Rental App?
The vacation rental market has been the subject of much discussion recently. But even a behemoth like Airbnb only controls about 10% to 15% of the vacation rental market right now. Other companies can fill 40-50% of the market with their Airbnb-like app. Therefore, there is room for another unicorn to succeed in the tourism sector. If you want to make your mark in the travel industry, now is the time to do it with a high-quality app that can please its target audience.
Even in its most basic form, an app like Airbnb will allow hosts to advertise available rooms and guests to search for available rooms based on location. The app facilitates hotel reservations and online payments for guests.
Important Article: How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Car Rental App?
Top 10 Airbnb App Features to Think About
Given that it altered people’s perceptions of home ownership. It’s a link between vacationers and rental-home owners. The hosts can earn money by renting out their space, and visitors can find lodging that suits their needs and budget relatively quickly. They can take a trip and still have a place waiting for them when they return.
So, if you want to create a service like Airbnb, you should. You should pay attention to these components while making your app.
1. Booking
Booking a room or other lodging and viewing reservations made in the past is a valuable addition to any booking system. It’s open to change, revision, and removal. The primary purpose is the potential for financial gain through rental payments for both the owner and the tenants. They’ll have to give a full rundown of the apartment and their guest list. Your app should also have a built-in media-sharing feature for use by both guests and the host. Also, advertise its per-day or per-month rates so that other potential guests can budget accordingly.
2. Favorites and filtered searches
By eliminating results that don’t meet a user’s criteria, filters make it easier to zero in on the exact home they’re looking for. Applying filters on travel dates, cost, lodging size, amenities, and more allows you to zero in on the ideal accommodation. With this proper function, you can save time and better meet your customers’ needs. Making use of this tool facilitates the process and aids the user in selecting an appropriate option from the many that are presented.
3. Personal Information and Reservations
The user’s details will need to be entered into this field. The app’s creator, however, would need to construct a system that allows for creating two separate profiles—one for guests and one for hosts—in the style of Airbnb. The user must provide details about themselves, including their email address, phone number, user name, date of birth, gender, and country of residence. After that is finished, a profile for them will be made. An individual’s preferences regarding travel itineraries, tours, and other experiences can be tracked across all your customers using a unique identifier. As a result, you’ll be able to alert customers to limited-time discounts.
Also, hosts and guests can look at past, present, and future bookings, payments, and earnings using the booking history feature.
4. Notifications That Push
The popularity of apps has skyrocketed due to the push notification feature. A push notification for a conversation is an instant alert. Whenever a guest makes a reservation request, the host is immediately notified. Once the request is approved, the owner will uncheck the demand, change the reservation’s status, and confirm the booking. Send push notifications at each stage of the process, from selecting a rental to viewing it on a map. Customers can use this feature to plan trips to the locations they have added to their favorites.
5. International Currency Assistance
Users should feel comfortable making payments, so it’s a good idea to offer a currency converter API, such as Google’s currency API, that automatically converts the payment amount to the user’s preferred currency.
6. Chatbot & Help DeskÂ
The host can have preliminary conversations with the property owner through this function. Consequently, they can have all their questions answered in advance of visiting. In addition, they have a much better idea of the amenities available at your property.
Once you contact the help desk, an agent can adequately identify your issue and provide appropriate assistance or guidance. Whether you need help getting started with the app, are having trouble making a booking, changing an existing reservation, or canceling a reservation entirely, this function has you covered.
7. Worldwide Currency Help
After a guest’s stay, they can settle with the host and pay for the rental through the site’s payment options. As a result, your customers will have a complete menu of options to pick from—from electronic bank transfers to mobile payment systems and beyond. The user and the host can each access their transaction history and other payment information using this function. Additionally, it facilitates your customers’ choice of payment currency. Suppose you want your customers to feel comfortable making payments. In that case, it’s a good idea to offer a currency converter API that uses the Google Currency API to automatically adjust the payment amount to the customer’s preferred currency.
8. Location-based Services
Create a mobile app similar to Airbnb that makes rental rates for nearby apartments visible on a map. Depending on what you know about the available units, you can adjust the geolocation map by repositioning it or changing the zoom level. When guests click the marker, they’ll be taken to a page with more information about the property.
9. Option to Revoke CancellationÂ
It is not enough to provide simple tools for making hotel reservations; users also need a simple way to cancel those reservations if required. Your app platform, in this regard, must feature separate cancellation controls for hosts and guests. Looking at existing, well-received travel apps is the best way to learn what features users find most helpful when canceling a trip.
10. All the Ratings and Reviews for Your Requests
Reviews from past guests are crucial to a host’s profile and contribute to the host’s rating. The review feature allows the landlord and the tenant to voice their opinions on the app. Tenants can also leave ratings and comments for the host and the property, which can be helpful to anyone looking for a place to rent. Tenants’ profiles can also be affected by the property owners’ ratings. It is more engaging and convenient for the users who would be using the same property afterward, as rating helps them choose better. The host should be able to solicit feedback in the form of ratings and reviews.
Can You Give Me an Estimate of the Price Tag for an Airbnb-Style App?
What is the price tag of a service similar to Airbnb? Most reputable app developers will tell you that pinpointing the exact cost of building a travel app like Airbnb is impossible. When estimating how much it would cost to create an app like Airbnb, it’s impossible to give a universal estimate because every app differs. Some of these elements include the following-
Considerations includeÂ
- Platform selectionÂ
- Developer count and diversityÂ
- In-house vs. outsourced development strategyÂ
- Use of cutting-edge features and functionsÂ
- Technology stack,Â
- Degree of design customization.
Creating an app with similar functionality to Airbnb can cost anywhere from $25,000 to $35,000. This time and money commitment are typically spread out over four months. The cost and time required to develop an app with sophisticated features and a high-level technology stack will increase proportionally with the complexity of the app’s new functions, as adding them will require the participation of highly skilled developers and specialists, as well as a longer development cycle.
Please find out how much it will set you back to create an app like Airbnb for iOS, Android, or Windows.
- Web Development– $30,000Â
- Android app development– $50,000Â
- iOS app development– $40,000
The total cost of developing a cross-platform app is affected by several factors. By comparing how long it takes various developers to construct a given set of features in a mobile app and then applying their respective hourly rates, an accurate estimate of how much the app would cost can be made.
Related Article: An Overview to Car Rental Mobile App Development: Features & Types
Conclusion
The market for travel apps is highly competitive because of their popularity. Your app needs special features that set it apart from the others in the app store. To get your company off to a successful start, implement these steps to make an app like Airbnb.
