Insights for Entrepreneurs

Tips to Build a Website Like Airbnb – A Beginner’s Edition

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Glory Simmons

08 May 2023 on Insights for Entrepreneurs · 6 min read

build a website like Airbnb

6 min read

Airbnb is the leading residential real-estate-rental service platform. It is a perfect example of a peer-to-peer marketplace that offers accommodation and rental services to users all over the world. Any budding entrepreneur will set his eye to create a marketplace like Airbnb.

In this article, we will let you understand more about the Airbnb platform and the reasons behind its success. You will study its key features and will learn how to develop a website like Airbnb. First, let us get into some interesting facts about Airbnb.

Inspiring facts about Airbnb

  • Airbnb holds more than 6 million active listings on its platform as of 2022. This was just 300 listings in 2013.
  • The platform has more than 4 million hosts as of 2022.
  • Airbnb has witnessed a 78% increase in revenue from 2020 to 2021 which was $1.5 billion.
  • Airbnb is providing real-estate-rental services in around 220 countries and has 1 billion guest arrivals.
  • Each host in Airbnb would earn $7900/year on average.
  • 33% of users have admitted that they prefer Airbnb for the authentic experience they have gained.

These facts are quite inspiring to make a firm decision on creating a website like Airbnb. Having a website like Airbnb will get you better returns and you have a promising future with your platform. Now let us understand how the platform works.

How does Airbnb work?

  • Property owners get registered with the Airbnb platform and will upload their properties with complete descriptions.
  • Guests enter the platform and will search for property listings.
  • The platform will filter the listings and will post the relevant properties that meet guests’ requirements.
  • Guests will check properties, compare their pricing, and will call the concerned property owner to get more details about the property.Once the guest is clear about the property, will book accommodation.
  • The host has the right to accept or reject the booking made by the guest.
  • If the host accepts the booking, the guest will pay through the platform.
  • The platform can take the commission amount from the payment and will transfer the rest to the concerned property owner.

Thus, the working pattern is quite simple and easy. It may sound common and most leading vacation rental platforms follow the same order but still Airbnb managed to reach the top place in the market. There are reasons behind its success in the market. Let us identify those key factors that will be helpful while building a website like Airbnb.

Why is Airbnb so popular in the online rental industry?

Although Airbnb had a very common method of running the rental business, it managed to take a new direction in approaching its audience. We need to know more about the steps that Airbnb took to be successful among fierce competition.

Importance to user experience – The official website of Airbnb was initially not so impressive. Soon after the team worked on user experience, the company started witnessing a positive growth.

Provide intimate environment – Users get to feel the intimate environment as each employee gives input on website upgradation that offers more creativity to the platform.

User-friendly interface – Users haven’t felt bored staying on the platform for a long time. They find it more interesting and user-friendly.

Large-scale adoption – A wide range of product listings is another key reason for the success of the platform. The company supports more than 6 million listings offering more options to guests.

If you are thinking about how to build a website like Airbnb, then you need to consider all the success-focusing factors that will make your platform successful too. Another essential and crucial aspect you need to study is the features Airbnb offers.

Key features of Airbnb that make it unique from other rental platforms

The platform focuses on hosts and guests separately and has developed exclusive features for both user groups. Let us check out the features for hosts, guests, and also for the admin panel.

Features of the host
Easy registration
The host will register with the platform and will submit all documents related to his property for the admin’s approval
Add Property
The host can add his property with a detailed description and images of the property
Manage property
The host can make changes to his property by making changes in the description, title, pricing, and many more.
Booking management
Hosts can receive booking requests from guests and hosts can accept or reject bookings.
Setup calendar
The host can sync the calendar with their booking page and can avoid double bookings.
Ratings and reviews
Hosts can get to know how their guests have felt after staying on their property by reading their reviews and ratings.
Features of the guest
Social media login
Guests should be allowed to log in to the platform by using their social media account which is a simple way of registration
Set up profile
Guests can set their profile with their contact details and images that will let hosts go through if needed to know about the guest
Search and filter
Guests need an advanced search and filtering option that will let them easily find out the property they are searching for accommodation.
In-app chat
Guests should be provided a communication channel to reach out to the concerned property owner to clarify their doubts
Multiple payment options
Guests should be offered multiple payment options that will facilitate easy booking and getting their accommodation
Ratings and reviews
Guests should be allowed to share their feedback about their stay on the property and the service offered by the platform.
Booking/cancellation
Guests can find a comfortable property in the listing and can book them. After booking they can also cancel their trip.
Geo-map integration
Guests need to have a map integrated with the platform that will let them find nearby stay and reduce their travel time.
Customer support
Renting a property needs more assistance and every guest needs 24/7 customer support from the platform.
Features for Admin Panel
Dashboard
A user-friendly dashboard will give complete metrics about the platform performance and the admin can get to know all details in a single view
Host management
Admin can add or remove any host from the platform. Host performance is monitored through the reviews they get from their guests
Guest management
Admin can add or remove any guest from the platform. Complete support will be provided by the platform to all guests.
Push notification
Admin needs to alert all users in the platform regarding booking, payment, cancellation, offers, and many more through push notifications
Multiple payment gateways
The platform needs to be integrated with multiple payment gateways by following all standard security protocols.
Offers and discounts
To beat the competition, the admin needs to give offers and discounts occasionally during season time and can attract more users to the platform.
Commission management
On each stays the host gets through the platform, the admin will get a commission from the host, and the host can request a withdrawal from the platform and get the balance amount
Multiple communication channels
Admin needs to offer multiple communication channels like live chat, messenger, email, and many more to let guests stay in touch with the host and the platform
Reviews and ratings
Admin can monitor all reviews and ratings given by guests. This will help him to monitor the performance of hosts and also can enhance the platform service.

How does a website like Airbnb make money?

This is what we all are curious about. A platform like Airbnb can be listed to be a successful one, only when it can make some huge revenue. If you are planning to build a website like Airbnb then you need to understand its revenue model that has to be inherited in your platform.

build a website like Airbnb

Commission – This is the common revenue model that is quite popular and profitable in any online platform. The platform can earn a commission from the host for each business he makes through the platform. The commission value can be fixed or can vary according to the rental charges.

Service charge – This is charged to each guest who uses the platform to get their accommodation. While generating the invoice, the platform will include a certain percentage as a service charge and guests will pay the charge and will book the property.

Featured listing – Any vacation rental platform will have multiple hosts. We have already seen that Airbnb has more than 6 million hosts. Each host may want to get their property listed on the top of the searches. For this featured listing, the platform will charge the host to pay extra for easy visibility.

These are some cool revenue streams that have supported Airbnb to get better returns. While building a website like Airbnb, you need to make sure that you support all these revenue sources.

How to build a website like Airbnb?

Hope you are clear with the working pattern of Airbnb, the reason behind its popularity, its crucial features, and its revenue models. Now we have come to the most important section of knowing how to make a website like Airbnb.

There are multiple ways to build a website like Airbnb. If you have enough time and a heavy budget in hand, then you can go for developing a website like Airbnb from scratch. For any startup or SME, we would strongly recommend not going for this method as it is very time-consuming and expensive.

Instead, we would recommend going for a ready-to-launch Airbnb clone or any reliable vacation rental script that can be launched in a few days. This is a cost-effective solution that will be affordable for all businesses.

You can get customization support from the development team and get a scalable solution too. The only challenge in going for a readymade solution is to find a reliable Airbnb cone development company in the market. To make it simple for you, we would recommend going with Appkodes, the premium Airbnb clone development company.

Create a website like Airbnb with Appkodes

Appkodes is the most reliable clone development company which has 9+ years of industry knowledge. The well-equipped technical team can understand your business goals and requirements and can customize the Airbnb clone to perfectly fit into your business.

With extensive technologies, our team can optimize your website and can make it more user-centric. The platform will have dynamic functionality that will let your guests easily identify their accommodation location. All our product designs follow the best UI/UX protocols.

If you are serious about building a website Airbnb then we are very eager to assist you in making your dream come true.

Reach us Now…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Glory is a creative content writer whose writing has a deep connection with users and can provide SEO-friendly tech-driven content. Being a freelance content writer, all her writings meet the demands of any online business, solopreneur, start-up, and brand.