How to Build an App like Airbnb?[Cost + Technology + Features]

If you have an idea of building an app like Airbnb, then you have landed at the right place.

In today's travel landscape, most people favor homestays over hotels because they offer greater comfort and privacy.

The main goal of starting a vacation rental business is to connect people looking for accommodation with people who want to rent their homes and make revenue out of it.

Kicking off a vacation rental business is quite an adventure. You've got to pick the perfect mix of features, technologies, and development to stand out in the market!

This blog provides valuable insights into crafting a vacation rental platform like Airbnb.

Let us discuss some benefits of starting a vacation rental platform,

Benefits

There are more benefits to owning a vacation rental business compared to traditional long-term rentals.

Significant Revenue: The annual growth will go up to 6.3% which results in a market volume of $105.70bn by 2026.

Global Tourist Spending: According to Copyrise report, global tourists spend 180 billion on travel every year. This vast market presents a wealth of opportunities for vacation rental businesses.

Preference for Privacy: Around 64% of tourists choose to stay in a vacation rental for privacy, kitchen accessibility, and also it is pet friendly. This trend can be a significant selling point for your business.

Additional revenue streams: A vacation rental business allows you to generate revenue from additional services such as local tours, event hosting, cleaning, and laundry.

How does Airbnb work for guests?

Search: Guests/Users search for accommodations by entering their destination, dates, and no.of users.

Listings: When a guest searches for a property on Airbnb, the app or website will display a list of property listings that match the guest's search criteria.

Browse Listings: Guests view property listings with photos, descriptions, amenities, and reviews.

Filters: Guests use filters to refine their search by property type, price, and amenities.

Booking: Guests select a property, choose their dates, and book it through the platform.

Contact Host: Guests can message the host for any inquiries or special requests.

Confirmation: Airbnb processes the payment and confirms the booking.

Stay: Guests check in on the specified date and enjoy their stay.

Reviews: After the stay, guests can leave reviews about their experience.

How does Airbnb work for hosts?

Create Listing: Hosts list their property with details and photos.

Set Profile: Hosts create a profile with information about themselves.

Booking Rules: Hosts set house rules and preferences.

Calendar Management: Hosts update availability and pricing on the calendar.

Communication: Hosts and guests communicate through Airbnb's messaging system.

Booking Requests: Hosts receive and respond to guest booking requests.

Confirmation: When accepted, Airbnb processes guest payments and confirms bookings.

Guest Arrival: Hosts prepare for guest arrivals and provide instructions.

Guest Stay: Hosts ensure guests have a comfortable stay.

Reviews: Both hosts and guests can leave reviews.

Payment: Hosts receive earnings through their chosen payout method.

Features to consider for app like Airbnb

Guest Features

Guests are people who look for any house or property to stay, sleep and cook during their stay. They mainly look for homely staycations to enjoy their vacation.

Here are the must-have guest features,

• Advanced search filters - It allows guests to filter price ranges, and categories using search filters
• Wishlist - Users can save their favorite listings for the future booking process
• Edit profile - Users can manage their entire profile
• Document Verification - Users can upload their documents and get verified by the admin
• Advanced Internal Messaging system - With an In-app messaging system, guests and hosts can interact with each other on the platform
• Upcoming & Previous Trips - This allows users to manage their entire trip history
• SMS verification - To get additional security in the platform, users can verify themselves using SMS
• Report host - Users can report the host in case of any fraudulence

Host Features

Hosts are people who post the listings of their homes or spare places on the website in order for the guests to book their property. In return, the host will earn revenue after the booking gets completed.

The host can accept or decline the booking request based on their preference. They can list their property with all the information about the facilities they are providing, elegant images, etc.

Here are the must-have host features,

• iCal Integration – It allows the host to export or import the calendar, and with the help of iCal, the host can also sync their calendar to other external calendars
• Manage Reservations - Host can manage the entire reservation for each individual listing on the platform
• Transaction History - Host can manage the completed transactions, future transactions, and gross earnings on the platform
• Payout Preferences - Host can choose the required payout method to receive the payment from the admin
• Seasonal Pricing - Host can set special pricing for guests during the peak season or during long holidays
• Manage Listings - The host can manage the entire listings that are created or published on the platform
• Message History - Allows host to view the entire chat history between guest and host

Admin Features

Admin is the one who monitors and manages the entire activities of the platform from the admin panel. Admin can also earn revenue by charging commission fees from guests and hosts for using the platform.

Here are the must-have admin features,

• Dashboard - Admin can manage the entire users, listings, and reservations of the entire platform in a single dashboard
• Manage Users - Allows admin to view the entire details of the platform users like email address, phone number, date of birth, address, etc. To ensure security, the platform should have the option to ban fake users on the platform
• Manage Admins - This feature allows the admin to add a sub-admin and allocate roles and responsibilities in the platform
• Manage Listings - Admin has the access to edit, delete or view the detailed information of the listings
• Manage Reservations - Under this, the admin can manage the entire reservation details along with the status of each reservation
• Manage Service fee - Admin can set a host and guest service fee from the admin panel and manage the entire fee structure as fixed or in percentage
• Auto Payout - It automatically sends a payout to hosts in a short span of time

To build these top-class features you need to choose the right technology. Let’s discuss the same.

Technology

Due to constant growth in technology, the vacation rental business has reached new heights. It is very crucial to choose the right technology for building a vacation rental app similar to Airbnb.

Airbnb has used the latest technologies which makes them completely unique. Here is a brief overview,

• Programming languages - Ruby and Javascript
• Framework - RoR (Ruby on Rails). One of the famous frameworks that speed up development and reduce cost. Nowadays, people also use React framework for UI and frameworks like NodeJs, ReactJs, ExpressJs, and GraphQL
• Web server - Nginx. It is a powerful HTTP and proxy server that speed up security and scalability. Some tech industry giants Netflix and Instagram use Ngnix.
• Cloud Hosting - Amazon EC2
• Cloud Database - Initially, Airbnb used MySQL databases but currently they are using Amazon RDS

Cost to develop App like Airbnb

Airbnb is the most successful home-sharing platform and if you have plans to build a vacation rental platform like Airbnb, then the below lines are for you,

For achieving this, you have two options,

• If you have the knowledge and experience of the technologies mentioned above, you can develop the software on your own. But it takes a lot of time for you to create an app like Airbnb with all the must-have features. Instead of this, it is advisable to go with readymade scripts

• They are independent web applications that are readily available in the market for you to start a business

Look at nowhere but RentALL - Airbnb clone, a readymade solution that helps entrepreneurs and business owners to launch their platforms effortlessly.

RentALL is more sophisticated and built with futuristic technologies to provide a hassle-free experience to users.

You can get,

• 100 % source code
• Unlimited updates
• Multi-domain License
• Multi-currency
• Latest tech stack

Now, speaking about the pricing, RentALL cost you between $3000 to $4000

Closing thoughts

I believe you got enough knowledge to create your own vacation rental app. Speak with us today on WhatsApp and let us help you to achieve your dream of building a world-class vacation rental platform.