Top 6 Hotel Booking Apps: Insights for Building Your Own

Airbnb has exploded in recent years, becoming a groundbreaking player in the hospitality industry. They achieved that by taking an unconventional approach to the conventional accommodation booking process. They offered an unprecedented opportunity to book directly from property owners themselves and communicate with the host without the portal mediation. By doing this, they’ve brought the flexibility to negotiate the rate and booking terms, which resonated with their target audience perfectly.

Unlike Booking.com, Airbnb presents unique properties that go beyond traditional hotel rooms or apartments, including treehouses, windmills, caves and even castles. What’s more, Airbnb can be more affordable compared to conventional hotels for longer stays or larger groups.

With its broad reach, Airbnb operates in 191 countries, boasting an expansive network of over 4 million hosts worldwide and an impressive selection of over 6 million active listings on its platform (Airbnb statistics).

Let’s have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of the Airbnb app compared to its competitors.

PROS – Best Practices to Follow:

1. Unique Accommodations: Users have access to a wide variety of unique and personal accommodations that aren’t typically available on traditional hotel booking sites (from cosy cabins to lofty treehouses, even converted planes or whimsical gingerbread houses straight out of a fairytale). These options are more affordable than specialised design hotels, allowing travellers to enjoy distinctive experiences without breaking the bank.
2. Wide Geographic Coverage: Airbnb operates in thousands of cities worldwide, often providing accommodations in areas where traditional hotels are scarce or overly expensive.
3. Authentic Local Experiences: Airbnb connects travellers with local hosts who offer tours, classes, workshops, and more. This can enrich users’ travel experience by providing insights into local culture, cuisine, and activities that might not be discovered through conventional travel methods.

CONS – The Room for Improvements:

1. Security Concerns: There have been instances of safety and security concerns with some Airbnb rentals, including hidden cameras and scams. These are rare, but they highlight the need for due diligence. Implementing more rigorous safety checks on hosts and properties, such as mandatory safety feature listings (fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, first aid kits) and regular safety compliance checks, could enhance guest safety. Additionally, Airbnb could offer more robust support and resources for guests who encounter safety issues during their stay.
2. Additional Fees: Many Airbnb listings come with additional fees, including cleaning fees, service fees, and sometimes even extra charges for additional guests, which can significantly increase the total cost. Airbnb could make the total cost of stays more transparent by displaying fees together with the total price upfront. This would help prevent sticker shock at checkout and make price comparison easier for users.
3. Search Everywhere Feature: Airbnb also lacks a “search everywhere” option, which could limit users who are undecided on their destination. Introducing this feature would enhance flexibility for users, allowing them to possibly improve overall user satisfaction, aligning with similar enhancements made by other platforms.

Expedia stands out as a comprehensive travel platform, not only facilitating hotel reservations but also providing options for flights, car rentals, vacation packages and even cruises. It also offers exclusive discounts and deals to save money on travel.

Expedia’s broad spectrum of travel-related services and user-friendly interface (characterised by clear categorisation, simplicity, step-by-step guidance, and tailored recommendations) make it an excellent option for travellers.

The platform’s influence is evidenced by the substantial number of users it attracts. In 2022 alone, Expedia served 48 million people. Furthermore, Expedia has shown a remarkable financial recovery after the lockdown in 2020, doubling its results in 2022 with annual revenue of $11.6 billion (Business of Apps).

So, what are the pros and cons that Expedia brings to the table to attract users?

PROS – Best Practices to Follow:

1. One-Stop Travel Solution: The app provides a broad list of travel services all in one place. This comprehensive offering allows travellers to book and manage nearly every aspect of their trip through a single platform, simplifying the planning process.
2. 24/7 Customer Support: Users can get round-the-clock customer support, assisting with bookings, changes, and any issues that may arise.
3. Mobile-Exclusive Offers: Expedia rewards app users with exclusive mobile-only discounts, including special offers for hotels and flights that are only available when booking through the app.

CONS – The Room for Improvements:

1. Not Always the Best Deals: Despite often offering good deals, Expedia doesn’t always have the lowest price for every travel component, especially when airlines or hotels offer exclusive promotions. There could be a difference between the price shown on the app and the final price at checkout. Additionally, users might find a lower price on another platform after making a booking, despite Expedia’s price match guarantee (this allows travellers to claim a refund for the difference if they find a cheaper rate for the same hotel room on another website).
2. Booking and Reservation Errors: Users occasionally report problems with bookings not being processed correctly through the app, leading to issues with hotel reservations, flight bookings, or car rentals. They complained that those services were not confirmed or recognised by the service provider.

According to Similarweb, Trivago is among the most trusted hotel booking apps in 2023 with 5 million monthly visits and 100 million downloads. Trivago combines hotel prices from various booking sites like Hotels.com, AlphaRooms, LateRooms, Expedia, and HotelTonight, allowing users to access dozens of suitable options at a great price within minutes. With 333,000 reviews, the app can provide a reliable evaluation and verification of hotels’ quality.

Its strength lies in the depth and presentation of its hotel comparison capabilities, particularly for users whose primary concern is finding the best deal on accommodations. Trivago focuses on offering traditional types of accommodation with extensive filters for amenities, ratings, and price comparisons.

Let’s summarise what you should learn from Trivago’s success and what mistakes you should avoid.

PROS – Best Practices to Follow:

1. Comprehensive Price Comparison: Trivago’s focus on comparing prices across a wide range of booking sites makes it a powerful tool for users looking to get the best deal on accommodations. It maintains a level of independence in its listings and reviews so it can provide a broader, unbiased view of hotel options, as opposed to platforms that prioritise their own inventory or partnerships.
2. Efficient Multi-Device Experience: For users who switch between devices during their search and booking process, Trivago offers seamless synchronisation across platforms. You can start a search on a smartphone, continue on a tablet, and finalise on a laptop without losing any of the search progress or selected preferences.
3. User-Centric Search and Filter Tools: Trivago provides advanced search functionalities and filter options, allowing users to narrow down their choices based on specific criteria. This level of granularity in search helps users tailor their findings to match their preferences and needs perfectly. For example, users can search for hotels near landmarks and attractions.

CONS – The Room for Improvements:

1. Ads and Sponsored Content: Trivago’s listings include sponsored content, which can influence the visibility of hotels and might not always align with the user’s best interests.
2. Booking Outside the Portal: While this can be a pro, it also means users have to complete their booking through another site, adding an extra step to the reservation process. The other issue is that the quality of the booking experience (and the service’s trustworthiness) ultimately depends on the third-party site selected for the reservation, which can vary widely (based on Google Play & Apple Store ratings and reviews on Trivago).

Kayak is the leading all-in-one travel planning app that allows you to book flights, hotels, and rental cars all in the same place. It stands out for its comprehensive search features, allowing users to compare prices across multiple booking sites quickly. Kayak also offers a variety of helpful tools to consolidate travel plans in one place, which is particularly useful for users booking through multiple platforms.

Kayak sets itself apart with features like the price forecast tool for flights, which leverages data analytics to help users make informed decisions about booking times.

Kayak’s mobile app is currently available in about 20 languages and 30 countries, with the company’s 2022 revenue of $0.12 B, up from 2021 revenue of $0.11 B.

Below, you’ll find some pros and cons of the Kayak app that may be useful for your app development.

PROS – Best Practices to Follow:

1. Innovative Tools: Kayak offers unique features like the price forecast for flights or accommodations, which predicts whether prices will rise or fall, helping users decide the best time to book. Another one is the explore feature, which allows you to find the best destinations within a specific budget and with flexible dates.
2. Comprehensive Search Capabilities: Kayak can aggregate a vast amount of data from multiple sources, offering a broad view of options and prices that might not be visible on other platforms.
3. Detailed Filters: Kayak provides extensive filtering options across flights, hotels, and car rentals, including stopovers, flight times, hotel amenities, and rental car specifications.

CONS – The Room for Improvements:

1. Customer Service Limitations: Since Kayak redirects users to third-party sites for booking, resolving issues directly through Kayak can be limited. Establishing better coordination with partner sites can help with the resolution of customer service issues.
2. Security Concerns: Since Kayak redirects users to third-party websites for booking, it cannot guarantee the security of the purchase process. Sharing personal and payment information across multiple platforms increases the risk of data breaches and privacy concerns. Users need to trust each third-party site with their sensitive information (based on Google Play & Apple Store ratings and reviews on Kayak).

Plannin is a brand-new and innovative platform that combines influencer-generated content with travel planning. It leverages the trustworthiness and reliability of video creators, allowing users to virtually experience their journey even before they set out on it.

Not only does Plannin cater to creators looking to earn long-term commissions based on their content, but also provides users with dependable reviews of destinations they plan to visit. Thus, it perfectly meets the needs of two main target groups.

Although the app has been available on the market since 2024, it is already making profits and attracting new customers. Currently, Plannin boasts an impressive 70% month-to-month revenue growth rate and a 30% month-to-month booking growth rate. Its intuitive and stunning design, fuelled by creators’ authority, results in an astonishing 38% of new customers choosing to book their trips through Plannin.

PROS – Best Practices to Follow:

1. Dynamic, Trustworthy, and Sincere Creator-Generated Content: Plannin features content created by professionals, ensuring users have a clear understanding of their bookings and can avoid any unpleasant surprises upon arrival.
2. Reliability of Services: Plannin is funded by the CEO of Booking.com,
a former Priceline executive (TechCrunch). This backing makes the platform both groundbreaking and trustworthy.
3. Expanding Service Offerings: Plannin is actively working on expanding its platform to include experience booking, broadening its range of services.
4. Unique Approach to Monetisation: By booking trips through Plannin, users can support their favourite creators at no additional cost, offering a unique and rewarding experience.

CONS – The Room for Improvements:

1. Growth Phase: The platform is still growing, and it will take some time to launch additional functionalities that people are currently waiting for.