Airbnb has given homeowners a great way to monetize their houses by turning them as peer-to-peer rentals. However, this very P2P nature of the marketplace leaves a void in it. For most Airbnb hosts, keeping their rentals ready for guests is a huge pain in the neck. And that’s where short-term rental maintenance service providers like Pillowhomes, Guesty, Proprly, and Urban Bellhop jump-in to ease the troubles of homeowners.
These technology-driven rental property maintenance platforms are in full swing in American and European Markets. And since Airbnb and other P2P home rental services are continuously spreading their market reach, websites like Pillowhomes & Guesty are in huge demand across the globe. This is a marketplace that aspiring entrepreneurs must watch out for.
So, here are the details – business model, website features, and recommendations – that you would need to build an advanced short-term rental property maintenance business.
Let’s begin by understanding its business model first.
In simple terms, this is a marketplace dedicated to provide hospitality services to short-term rentals listed on websites like Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO. It basically ensures that listed rentals earn owners more money by attracting more guests. So, like typical hotels need hospitality firms, Airbnb listings need website like Pillow & Guesty.
Here is how things work on short-term rental maintenance platforms:
The business idea is particularly very thoughtful since sharing economy (P2P marketplaces) has given rise to the collaborative usage of resources but so far less attention has been paid to the maintenance of these resources.
Now that we have a clear picture of the business model, let’s move on to website features to see how all these services should be incorporated into an online platform, and gather some handy insights for an advanced short-term rental maintenance service clone script.
Before we begin to elaborate on various website features and its UX design, let’s first get a rough idea on what ingredients would we need to create such a website. Here is a brief list:
Alright, that much should do for now. Now, let’s explore the website features at a deeper level.
Also Read: Business Model and Feature Analysis of a Property Listing Website
Homepage should have everything to engage visitors and build trust. Here are the major homepage highlights:
Overall, your homepage as a whole should set a fine example of UX design implementation. Make sure the clone script you use to build your home rental maintenance website, has such qualities.
Build trust, generate leads & boost sales with good UX design
The listing of a rental should be included in the signup process itself since your target audience includes only those who have an Airbnb or similar listing. You can divide the rental registration process into steps in which homeowners would be required to provide following details:
In case the visitor doesn’t already have an account on Airbnb and other P2P home rental sharing website, then offer a feature to assist them in creating one. You can charge users for this service additionally.
Besides that, also offer the feature to list the second rental since most Airbnb users have multiple properties listed on the site.
The user profile should have all the necessary options to enable users manage their activities on the website easily. Here is the list:
To run the business, you will need to hire independent contractors for the house cleaning jobs. And it makes perfect sense to use the website for the purpose. The cleaner landing page again should be well-thought-out and engaging like the homepage. The page should feature various benefits of partnering with your website and should also provide the information regarding the basic requirements that are needed to get registered.
The registration process for cleaners should be easy & quick. It should ask cleaners their personal details, professional details, availability, & service location. After that, you would need a team to verify whether the clearer is qualified enough to get listed with you.
Also Read: Build a Textbook Rental Website Around These Features and Business Model
Make sure you are ready with a comprehensive FAQ section before launching your short-term rental maintenance website. To simplify matters for users, you should nicely categorize it in different sections & sub-categories. Additionally, also include an option to allow users to ask new questions.
Homeowners should be able to leverage your services as a la carte (only one out of many). This can boost your conversion considerably. But also keep in mind that then you would need a larger team to handle the requests. Currently, only NY-based Proprly offers this service. How about including this feature in your clone script?
This is yet another innovative feature for this marketplace. Partner with a local car booking service (like Uber) to extend your hospitality service spectrum to airport pickup & delivery.
Like most ecommerce businesses these days, you should offer a friend referral program. Most existing players of this booming marketplace are missing this feature. By including it in your script you can have an edge over them.
There is another potential marketplace that all the existing short-term rental maintenance platforms are missing. GuestToGuest, LoveHomeSwap, and Knok create a peer-to-peer home-exchange marketplace, which pretty much is similar to the short-term rental marketplaces. By stepping into this marketplace, a huge amount of opportunities can be unlocked.
How much building a website like Pillow should cost you?
All the players of this emerging marketplace primarily target local markets, so, there is no dearth of opportunities for startups in it. Secondly, as of now the future of Airbnb and P2P rental sharing economy is secure, so services of sub-Airbnb-economies like Pillow, Guesty, Proprly (and possibly yours) will always be in demand. So, launching a short-term rental maintenance business, by all means, is a very smart business idea.
If you have already made up your mind for building a clone website on this business model, then pay extra attention to the feature and business model upgrades we have mentioned in the post. Partner with experienced design and development professionals to undertake feature additions and upgrades.
Also Read: Build Platform to Rent Campsites and Open Spaces – Check Website Features and Business Model
Follow this work strategy, and success of your website is ensured, whether you launch it as a competitor of an existing platform or as a counterpart serving a different market.
Have any additional queries? Mention them in the comment section!
All innovation starts with an idea to solve real-world problems. At FATbit Technologies we are passionate about driving digital transformation to prepare businesses for a digital-first tomorrow. Let’s discuss your BIG idea NOW.
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Comments (6)
Gregg
FATbit Chef Post author
Hardy Sanson
FATbit Chef Post author
MayaJosephine
FATbit Chef Post author
Thanks for the info. Very knowledgeable about the biz. Would like to get a conversation with you if you are available.
Best
Gregg
Hey Gregg,
Thanks for your appreciation. Yes, we would be glad to discuss your business idea. Just drop us a mail at [email protected] or call us at +91 95555 96666.
Cheers
FATbit Team
Nice post. It is very informative. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about the essential features to launch a rental property maintenance business portal. Keep posting and keep sharing content like this.
We’re glad you found this blog post helpful. Keep visiting for more such posts in the future.
Regards,
FATbit Team
Hi, Good day wishes!
Your blog is quite informative and delivers the entire essentials about the Airbnb clone script. Yes! Creating an own rental marketplace is the right choice of business nowadays since it is the utmost necessity of this fast-moving world.
Hello Maya,
Thanks for appreciating! Stay tuned for more insights!
Regards,
Team FATbit