Remember those days when looking for a hotel was a major part of our travel plans? With the advancements in technology and lifestyles, there is a noticeable change in travel plans as well. Traveling is a thrilling and exciting experience. To make it even more homely and stimulating, we have apps like Airbnb.
What exactly is that?
Airbnb is a vacation rental platform that facilitates travelers to rent a local stay and let owners rent out their spaces. Simply put, it is a short-stay accommodation app. The app is used by both “the owners (named hosts)” and “the travelers (named guests).” The company aims at developing a better experience for both hosts and guests. Airbnb revolutionized the hospitality industry and provides online hospitality services across the globe through mobile and web applications.
The company’s original value is to provide a unique business proposition.
1) Let property owners rent out their homes while they are away.
2) Guests get a home-stay experience at a pocket-friendly rate.
Today, Airbnb has more than 100 million users, 2.9 million hosts, and 6 million property listings. A company value of $35 billion certainly proves that Airbnb had a revolutionary idea.
Planning to build an app like Airbnb? Well, it is obviously a fabulous business idea. In this article, you will get a piece of detailed information about the app and its features. This will help you in well-suited planning and strategizing for your application according to the requirement.
How Does This App Work?
The best part about the Airbnb app is the smooth transition. Neither the host nor the guest would like to stay back if the app takes hours to load the property or while uploading the pictures. If you have a plan to build an app like Airbnb, offer a smooth transition from the beginning till the end. It should be easy to use and must provide an enhanced user experience for outstanding reviews.
Let’s dive into the working process of Airbnb:
# The property owner lists out their property description, including the rules, facilities, pricing structure, etc.
# All critical information that the owner would want the guest to know can be provided in the description itself.
# While searching for the property to rent, Traveler is facilitated with numerous filters to make the search easy.
# Filters for location, price range, and other essential details are provided to the travelers.
# Once the traveler finds the perfect property, he can request to book it.
# Later on, the property owner is facilitated to decide whether to accept or reject the request.
# When the owner accepts the request, the deposit amount will be deducted from the traveler’s account. The rest amount would be required for the traveler to pay post the stay.
# The app offers a facility for both the host and the guest to review each other for future references.
Now that you understand how it works, let’s look at the app’s features for guests and the hosts.
Features of Airbnb – For Hosts
Sign-up/Login
The first and foremost thing the property owner must do is sign-up to the app or website. He would be asked for details like name, email address, ID number, etc. The already registered hosts can log in using their credentials.
Manage Account
With the help of this feature, the hosts can update/edit their personal information. The feature also includes the password change facility.
Registration
In this feature, the hosts will be asked to add all the information about their property. Information such as the description, including rules, facilities, location, pricing, etc., can be added here.
Manage List
With this feature, the host can update the availability of their vacation properties.
Booking List
Here, the host can manage all their properties and bookings.
Request
This allows the host to accept/reject the requests received from the travelers.
Chatbot
It allows the host to interact with the travelers before accepting/rejecting the booking requests.
Chat Notifications
It offers a notification facility whenever the host receives a message.
Account Details
It allows the host to have a track of booking deposits and overall payment transactions.
Review
With the help of this feature, the host can share their review about the travelers who stayed there for better future references.
Sharing
This feature enables the hosts to share their application’s listing with their friends or invite them to use the Airbnb app.
Features of Airbnb – For Guests
Sign-up/Login
The traveler is required to sign-up for the app or website. He would be asked for details such as name, email address, ID number, etc. If the user is already registered, they can log in using their credentials.
Manage Account
It lets the guest’s update/edit their personal information and change the password whenever required.
Search Filter
The search filters let users search the properties and find the appropriate ones. They can apply filters such as dates, price range, property size, facilities, etc., to make the search easier. With this feature, users can find the right property quicker.
Wishlist
If the property that the guest liked is unavailable, there is a facility to add it to the wishlist and check again while planning another trip.
Chat Notifications
This feature helps the guests with a notification when there is a message on their app.
Chatbot
It enables guests to interact with hosts before booking the property.
Maps
The app offers the guests a facility to locate the property on maps to help them easily reach the property.
Booking
It lets the guests book a property that they liked, and it also displays the booking history.
Payments
The payment feature allows users to pay the amount to hosts once they have finalized the stay. It also lets them view transaction history and payment details. It offers the flexibility to choose the currency and payment methods.
Help
This provides the users with a solution when they face difficulties while looking for accommodation. It comes with short FAQs to help them understand the app better and resolve the issues faced.
Review
The guests can share their experiences with the host and about their stay for better future references.
Sharing
This lets the guests share the application with their friends and invite them.
Now that you have information about the features, let us learn about the technologies used to build an app like Airbnb.
Airbnb – The Tech Updates
In order to build an application like Airbnb, it is essential for you to know the basics of certain programming languages and frameworks. A little knowledge about the languages to use can help you decide better. Let us take a quick glance at the tech stack of the Airbnb App.
Frontend – Angular.js, Vue.js, and React.js
Serverside Technologies – AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and DigitalOcean
Backend – Django, Node.js, or Ruby
Database Management – MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MSSQL and Azure DocumentDB
Network Caching – Redis and Nginx
Wrapping Up
Not just building, scaling is also one of the most crucial parts of the process. I’d suggest consulting an expert for a streamlined plan for development and post-launch strategies.
