A Definitive Guide to making an app like Airbnb

May 29 , 2024 Posted by Admin

Airbnb is a life-changer for many travelers and renters as it provides an online relaxing platform where you, as a guest, can pursue a safe house as a vacation per your budget and time or, as a host, give vacation rent.

Airbnb connects two sides: one who wishes to rent for a certain period or a host and the one who is a traveler and wants a place to relax or be a guest with a genuine local vibe.

With a vacation rental mobile app development, a guest can find a desired place to stay for a specific period within a budget, and the host can give that.

Therefore, if you own a travel business and want to take advantage of this booming gig economy and build an app like Airbnb, this blog is for you.

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First, let’s learn what Airbnb is and how its app works?

In the world of travel and enjoying vacations, the Airbnb app is an online platform that allows property owners to rent their properties to travelers for a certain period while guests can avail themselves of this opportunity. As discussed, the vacation rental mobile app development has two parts: host and guest.

Note: Airbnb differs from traditional hotels in that it offers a local experience that makes it seem like we live in our own house. Guests have to arrange everything, including food and laundry. In hotels, the host comes, greets guests, and leads them to their room for a night or month’s stay, along with food, a pool, laundry services, etc.

How does the Airbnb host panel work?

Sign in and create a property listing with all the house details; as a host, you want to give on rent, photos, and the property’s location.

When guests request a stay, the host guides them and familiarizes them with the property’s cleaning standards, no-room areas, size, etc. The host also suggests nearby tourist places and transportation to build trust.

As per the conversation between the host and the guest, the host can approve the booking.

Still, guests need to pay the amount in advance, but the host will get in 24 hours after the guest asses and approves.

 How does the Airbnb guest panel work?

As a guest, register yourself and start looking for vacation stays using filters such as destination, the number of nights allowed for a stay reservation, the price, and the duration.

When guests like the host property, they can chat and move further after negotiation for approval.

When a guest sends the request, the host needs to approve it.

Once approved, the guest will pay payment along with taxes and service charges.

Also, if a guest wants to cancel the booking before approval, the guest can do that.

Remember, Airbnb acts as a broker or a mediator and takes a commission for each booking.

Features to include an app when creating one

Coming up with a travel agency-based app can be powerful for expanding your client base. This way, you can make the travel experience smooth for your host and guest clients.

So, let’s see what features must be in the app:

Host Panel

Without a host, your app won’t work, which is a must-have feature in your app.

Here are the host features that you keep in mind when making an app:

1. Host Profile Management: A host must have a sign-in or register option; the host must add its bio and proper details.

1. Property Management: When you make a property listing feature, expand this feature by adding features such as type of space, no of properties, duration to stay, no of bedrooms, address and multiple currencies option to receive payment, property availability calendars, and cleaning standards. Note you are the admin and must approve everything once the host puts all this info.

1. Dashboard: A user-friendly dashboard that overviews all the listings, bookings, number of viewers, reservation requests, past reservation history, ongoing stays, and much more.

1. Reservation Management: With this feature, the host can manage their reservations by declining or accepting the reservation request or making any changes to the booking.

1. Payment Management: This is an obvious feature all apps have regarding transactions. Here, you can manage payment methods. Guests can manage how they pay, add extra property access-related fees, and set up automatic transfers to their bank account when their wallet balance hits a certain amount.

1. Host Support Window: Build a feature in your mobile app development from which the host can get support. Here, you can guide them for any help and make documentation on how to use the app with a legal attitude.

Guest Panel

Guests are equally essential as hosts and contribute equally to a business.

Here are the guest features that you keep in mind when making an app:

1. Guest profile Management: This is a registration option for a guest to put his bio like DOB, name, occupation, marital status, etc

1. Property search with rich filter: This is the crux of why your guests are using the app. Give filter options for what places guests want to stay, required amenities, travel dates, and other needs.

1. Wish List: This feature allows guests to mark their preferred rental location and save it for future reservations.

1. Create Personal Travel Itinerary: Here, guest can make and manage the travel trips they want to see in their next ones, like transportation, booking attraction points, and much more.

1. Payment: Allow them to choose which payment they want to use for payment transfer to the host. As this feature is connected with the host, the admin is the one who gives both guests and hosts payment options, like credit card payment, digital banking, on-visit payment, or building your in-app payment wallet for quick payment.

1. My booking/ Booking Management: Features for updating booking details, checking out bookings, and declining reservations.

1. In-app messaging: Allows users to connect with the owner’s guests who want to interact for a stay visit.

1. What’s nearby? This feature allows guests to explore nearby cafes, fun-activated places, restaurants, etc.

1. Ratings and Reviews: Guests can rate the house and review its cleanliness, design, and location for each stay.

Both guest and host features in mobile app development would cost around 10,000 to 40,000 dollars.

Admin Panel

Now comes the core app panel, which is you or the admin. You are the central control of the business, so you approve the listing.

Here are the features you should use in the app:-

1. Use Management: To check new users and manage host and guest profiles.

1. Content Management: Here, you decide what you want to show on the app, such as filters you add, tiles to use, promotional content, and related stuff.

1. Booking Managing: Ensure that both parties are always notified about the current reservation/ booking.

1. Payment Management: Ensure the efficiency of all transactions between you, your hosts, and the guest and handle any payment issues.

1. Analytics and Reporting: This feature lets you view real-time data reports, such as the number of guests/hosts, listings, and past and present bookings, via charts, graphs, and more. It also allows you to learn host and guest behaviors and, based on that, improve your app.

1. Communication and Support: Use Chabot’s to deliver the most helpful client service for both guest and host and even to those who are in doubt about using your app and want help understanding it.

Also, your Vacation Rental App Must Have Push Notifications, Voice assistance, a Weather Forecast, In-app navigation, Reservation cancellation, and a Property price Calculator for both the admin and guest panels.

API Integrations

Now, look at some vital API integrations that can make the mobile app development process more accessible and help you create an app with a powerful UX/UI.

1. Communication Gateways: Add SMS and Email APIs when logging in.

1. Payment Gateways: Add PayPal or Stripe for secure transactions between parties.

1. Currency Converters: Use Fixer.io or an exchange rate API to provide facilities for users, guests, and hosts who live outside the USA.

1. Language Assistance: Apply API called Google translate if you aim to get a global client.

1. Analytics: You want to keep an eye on your app’s performance and behaviors of guests and hosts, so integrating with solid data analytics tools like HubSpot CRM, google, or Firebase analytics, you can do that.

1. Geo Location: Use geolocation APIs such as Google Maps or Mapbox API to allow guests an easy way to find their reserved rental property or let host mark their rental properties on a map

1. CMS Integrations: You can ease your app content management by integrating CMS integration like Firebase, WordPress, Joomla, etc.

How can you build an app similar to Airbnb?

As you already know what to add to your feature, Let’s dive deeper into what further you need to work on to build an app:

1. Come up with a well-thought-researched business strategy: What is your USP? What revenue stream you’re using? What is your budget?

1. Fine and get talents: Either in-house or outsourced, what do you prefer? When outsourcing, check out the agency’s reviews, ratings, and experience in making rental-based apps.

1. Create powerful UX/UI Design: Either in-house or opting for an agency with the most skilled app designers is a factor you should consider for a robust UX/UI design.

1. Move The Design to The Development Stage: Either use a CMS developer or develop a mobile app from scratch using the complete coding technique. Remember which app type (hybrid, cross-platform, or native) and app tech, like what coding languages you wish to use, is crucial in this stage.

1. Integrate Essential Travel App Features & APIs: Add all the discussed features and APIs to the app and make an MVP for feedback.

1. Test, modify, and repeat: After getting feedback, make changes according to it and, with time, infuse new features along with app maintenance.

Also, the business makes inevitable mistakes when making apps, such as underestimating the market research work, not giving importance to UX/UI, which declines the app’s user-friendly nature, failing to prioritize security features, and wanting an app as soon as possible.

Remember to be careful, use designers’ and developers’ talents, invest in the required resources, and be patient.

Conclusion

Now you know how to develop a mobile app like Airbnb, what features are needed, what API to use, and what research to perform.

So, for a cost-effective approach called “App Development Pros,” the affordable mobile app development company in the USA.

We work on all app development types, such as:

• hybrid mobile app development
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• Cross-platform mobile app development
• progressive web app development

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