Nowadays, people love traveling to new places to collect beautiful memories they cherish forever. As a result, the travel industry has started booming.
According to Statista report, revenue in the Travel & Tourism space will reach $854bn in 2023.
So, are you thinking of building an app similar to Airbnb?
Great, then you have landed at the right place. In recent times, travelers prefer homestay to hotels as it gives more privacy and comfort. The core purpose of starting a vacation rental business is to connect people in need of lodging with those who have homes to rent and generate income from it.
It’s not an easy job to start a vacation rental business as you need to focus on various factors like features, technology, and cost to stand out from your competitors.
So before going into features, technology, and cost, you need to know how Airbnb works.
How Does Airbnb Work?
Guests or users can initiate their search for a rental property by entering their desired location and booking dates. Subsequently, the platform will display available options, allowing the users to make their selections.
Once users have chosen a property, they can send a booking request to the host or service provider, along with the appropriate payment. The host then has the option to either accept or decline the booking request.
The rental fee paid by the user is collected by the admin or platform owners, who deduct their service fees before transferring the remaining amount to the host.
Must-Have Features to Consider While Building Vacation Rental App like Airbnb
There are a lot of features which are available in Airbnb but while building an app similar to Airbnb, it’s not recommended to build all of them while starting your business.
Of Course, features play a vital role in competing with your competitors but you can build the advanced features on the go but not everything at the start.
Here, I have listed out some of the must-have features for building a Airbnb like app.
Guest Features
Guests are individuals who look for a place to stay, be it a house or property, where they can relax, sleep, and even cook during their stay. Their primary goal is to find a warm and homely place that enhances their vacation experience.
Here is the list of must-have guest features,
- Smooth Login/Signup – Always make sure that your guests login or signup to your platform very quickly. Ask for simple information while signing up or give them a chance to use their social media account for a hassle-free experience.
- Wishlist – With this feature, users can save their favorite listings for future booking processes so that they don’t have to search again.
- Efficient Booking – While guests/users try to book a property/listing, keep the booking process as simple as that. Also, give them flexible payment methods like PayPal or Stripe for an efficient and safe payment process.
- Upcoming & Previous Trips – This feature allows the users can view and manage the entire booking history.
- In-App Messaging – Guests can text the host through the In-app messaging system. This allows both parties to clarify their doubts related to booking.
- Multi-language & Multi-currency – Since guests can come from anywhere in the world, it’s advisable to have multi-language and multi-currency options on the platform for better convenience.
Host Features
Hosts are individuals who share their property listings, which can be their homes or available spaces, on the website. Guests can then book these properties, and in return, hosts earn revenue upon successful bookings.
The host has the option to either accept or decline the booking request based on their preferences. They can create property listings with comprehensive details about the amenities they offer, accompanied by stunning images and more.
- Listings Management – It allows hosts to add new listings of their property in just 3 steps. They can add all the required information the guest wants to know and can edit their listed property as well.
- Cancellation Policy – Hosts need to have multiple cancellation policies based on their preferences. Of Course, it has a direct impact on the guest when they cancel the booking.
- Set the Price – Host have the option to set a base fare for their listings. Along with this, they can set cleaning fees if needed for their property. This feature allows them to set their own pricing based on their choice.
- Seasonal pricing calendar – It allows hosts to set a special price during festive seasons or special occasions. If they have a high demand, they can adjust the pricing of their listings hassle-free.
- Multiple payout method – With this feature, the host can add various payout accounts. They can choose any one of their account as default, to receive the earnings directly to their bank account.
- Manage Reservations – Host can manage all the reservations happening on the platform for each individual listing.
Admin Features
The admin is responsible for overseeing and controlling all platform activities through the admin panel. Additionally, the admin can generate income by charging small commission fees to guests and hosts for utilizing the platform.
- Dashboard – It helps the admin monitor the entire activities of the platform in a single dashboard. The admin can manage the entire users, listings, and reservations happening on the platform.
- Manage Users – It enables the admin to review extensive user profiles, encompassing email addresses, phone numbers, and more. To maintain security, the platform should provide the option to restrict fraudulent users (Ban or Unban from the platform)
- Manage Admins – Under this, the admin can add a sub-admin and allocate roles and responsibilities based on their preference.
- Manage Listings – From the admin panel, the admin has access to edit, delete, or view the detailed information on each listing and manage it accordingly.
- Manage Reservations – Reservation management helps the admin to review all the reservations happening on the platform.
- Manage Service Fee – It’s a very important feature as it allows the admin to set a service fee (fixed or percentage) for both guest and host for using the platform.
All these features we have discussed are mandatory to launch a platform similar to Airbnb. So, how do you plan to build these features? Cool, I am here to help you.
Technology
To build a fully functional website or mobile app, it is recommended to choose the right tech stack. The technology plays a vital role in building these features and to give a better experience to your clients.
Alright, now the question is “What technology do I need to choose?” I got you.
Programming Languages to consider
Use the below-recommended programming languages for website development,
Frontend
- HTML & CSS
- JavaScript
- BootStrap
- React
- React Apollo and Apollo Client
Backend
- Django
- GraphQL
- MySQL
If you are planning to use the above technologies and need a hand, don’t hesitate to contact our team.
How much does it cost?
You have two choices. Choose which one suits you,
- Custom Development – If you have the knowledge and experience in building the application with recommended technologies, you can finalize the features and start the work. Keep in mind that building a platform like Airbnb from scratch is going to take a lot of time.
- Readymade Script – There are many independent web and mobile applications available on the market. Readymade scripts allow you to start your vacation rental business right away. You can just purchase the script and install it on your own server saving a huge amount of time and cost. Sounds good, right?
The custom development will cost you around $10000 to $20000 depending on the tech team you prefer.
If you are going with the readymade script, then the pricing starts from $799 and goes anywhere around $3000. Another advantage is, it allows you to customize the platform based on your business requirements.
Prefer our Airbnb clone – GlyphStay, which can give you,
- Essential features
- Best-in-class technical support
- Multi-domain license
- Free Installation
- Latest tech stack
Let me know what else you have in your mind!
Here’s the complete guide for developing an Airbnb clone app from scratch
Wrapping Up
So finally, we are here discussing features to cost. Now, I can proudly say that my writing has taken you in the right direction.
Remember, anything is possible if you have the right team with you. Speak with your team so that we can try our best to help you to launch your vacation rental business. Cheers!
