Should I Build It Should I Build It
13 May 2025
Travel

an AIRBNB that focuses on events, activities and accommodation, it has ...

...a marketplace, but allows hosts to have mini sites and create their own marketplaces, it allows hosts to resell other hosts items,

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Strong Contender

The market has shown clear demand for this type of solution. Your challenge now is to create a version that stands out while delivering what people already want.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation.

Your are here

You're entering a "Strong Contender" market, meaning there's demonstrated demand for Airbnb-like platforms focused on experiences and activities, not just accommodation. Your idea of integrating a marketplace, host mini-sites, and cross-host reselling is interesting. With 4 similar products, there's moderate confidence in this category, but also increasing competition. The similar products have high engagement based on the average number of comments, but have no explicit use or buy signals (positive or negative). This neutral signal should not be discouraging, though, because most new products don't get any feedback at all. However, this does mean you need to be extremely aggressive about generating both user engagement and buy signals as soon as possible!

Recommendations

  1. Given the 'Strong Contender' categorization, meticulously study what successful competitors in the event-based Airbnb space are doing well. Focus on platforms like Houstr, which integrates shoppable experiences, to understand how they create value for both hosts and guests. Pay special attention to their business models and revenue streams.
  2. Identify 2-3 specific areas where you can significantly outperform competitors. Considering the discussions around Houstr, think about ROI for hosts and avoid cluttering spaces with excessive QR codes. Perhaps explore more seamless integration of product information and sales within the Airbnb environment.
  3. Start with a lean, core set of features that deliver the most value to your users. Focus on the event and activity booking process first, then gradually introduce the marketplace and host mini-site functionalities based on user feedback. This will allow you to validate demand and iterate quickly.
  4. Implement a charging model from the very beginning to validate real demand. Even a small fee will help gauge how serious users are about your platform. Consider a tiered pricing structure or commission-based model to incentivize both hosts and guests.
  5. Prioritize making your first 50 customers extremely happy. Collect detailed feedback, address their concerns promptly, and use their testimonials to build credibility and attract more users. Word-of-mouth marketing will be crucial in the early stages.
  6. Given that users of similar platforms are concerned with lack of clarity in availability and cost, you should prioritize clarity and transparency in these areas. Make it easy for users to understand pricing, availability, and any associated fees before they commit to a booking or purchase.
  7. Build an initial version of the platform that solves the most important problems around retreat planning, especially for remote teams and resource-strapped startups. Make the process as seamless and efficient as possible and collect feedback.
  8. Based on Offsite user feedback, explore international expansion, particularly into Canada, if your initial market is primarily US-based. This could significantly expand your user base and market reach.

Questions

  1. How will you balance the desire to provide a comprehensive marketplace with the need to avoid overwhelming users with too many options or a cluttered interface?
  2. What specific strategies will you employ to ensure a consistent level of quality and reliability across all events, activities, and accommodations offered on your platform?
  3. Given the importance of fostering company culture, what incentives can you design for teams to book offsite activities and retreats through your platform? How can you foster more of this?

Your are here

You're entering a "Strong Contender" market, meaning there's demonstrated demand for Airbnb-like platforms focused on experiences and activities, not just accommodation. Your idea of integrating a marketplace, host mini-sites, and cross-host reselling is interesting. With 4 similar products, there's moderate confidence in this category, but also increasing competition. The similar products have high engagement based on the average number of comments, but have no explicit use or buy signals (positive or negative). This neutral signal should not be discouraging, though, because most new products don't get any feedback at all. However, this does mean you need to be extremely aggressive about generating both user engagement and buy signals as soon as possible!

Recommendations

  1. Given the 'Strong Contender' categorization, meticulously study what successful competitors in the event-based Airbnb space are doing well. Focus on platforms like Houstr, which integrates shoppable experiences, to understand how they create value for both hosts and guests. Pay special attention to their business models and revenue streams.
  2. Identify 2-3 specific areas where you can significantly outperform competitors. Considering the discussions around Houstr, think about ROI for hosts and avoid cluttering spaces with excessive QR codes. Perhaps explore more seamless integration of product information and sales within the Airbnb environment.
  3. Start with a lean, core set of features that deliver the most value to your users. Focus on the event and activity booking process first, then gradually introduce the marketplace and host mini-site functionalities based on user feedback. This will allow you to validate demand and iterate quickly.
  4. Implement a charging model from the very beginning to validate real demand. Even a small fee will help gauge how serious users are about your platform. Consider a tiered pricing structure or commission-based model to incentivize both hosts and guests.
  5. Prioritize making your first 50 customers extremely happy. Collect detailed feedback, address their concerns promptly, and use their testimonials to build credibility and attract more users. Word-of-mouth marketing will be crucial in the early stages.
  6. Given that users of similar platforms are concerned with lack of clarity in availability and cost, you should prioritize clarity and transparency in these areas. Make it easy for users to understand pricing, availability, and any associated fees before they commit to a booking or purchase.
  7. Build an initial version of the platform that solves the most important problems around retreat planning, especially for remote teams and resource-strapped startups. Make the process as seamless and efficient as possible and collect feedback.
  8. Based on Offsite user feedback, explore international expansion, particularly into Canada, if your initial market is primarily US-based. This could significantly expand your user base and market reach.

Questions

  1. How will you balance the desire to provide a comprehensive marketplace with the need to avoid overwhelming users with too many options or a cluttered interface?
  2. What specific strategies will you employ to ensure a consistent level of quality and reliability across all events, activities, and accommodations offered on your platform?
  3. Given the importance of fostering company culture, what incentives can you design for teams to book offsite activities and retreats through your platform? How can you foster more of this?

  • Confidence: Medium
    • Number of similar products: 4
  • Engagement: High
    • Average number of comments: 35
  • Net use signal: 11.8%
    • Positive use signal: 11.8%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 2.4%
    • Positive buy signal: 2.4%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

Houstr - Turn your Airbnb into a shoppable experience

16 Feb 2024 Travel Shopping Vacation

Airbnbs are 4 walled innfluencers. From real life product impressions to recommendations from "local experts," Houstr aims to ensure these properties are properly compensated for their influence while giving businesses a real life distribution channel.

Houstr's Product Hunt launch garnered positive feedback for its innovative concept of transforming spaces like Airbnbs and hotels into marketing platforms, offering new revenue streams for owners and enhanced experiences for guests. Users praised the referral/affiliate business model and expressed interest in partnerships. The platform's potential for increasing income and providing value was highlighted. Concerns were raised about ROI and the practicality of certain high-value product sales. Suggestions included integrating product reviews and expanding to other venues like staged houses and restaurants. Many users congratulated the team and wished them success.

Users expressed concerns about the return on investment for hosts using Houstr. There were also concerns about the aesthetics of having too many visible QR codes, making homes look cluttered. Users inquired about plans to sell items in neighborhood stores, the overall future direction of Houstr, and questioned the need for this tool, particularly for remote teams.

Avatar
233
91
12.1%
2.2%
91
233
12.1%
2.2%
Relevance

Airbnb Icons - Extraordinary experiences from the world’s greatest icons

02 May 2024 Travel Entertainment Vacation

Airbnb is introducing Icons, a new category of extraordinary experiences hosted by the greatest names in music, film, television, art, sports, and more. Icons let you step into worlds you’ve only ever dreamed of.

Airbnb's Product Hunt launch is receiving positive feedback, with users expressing excitement about the initiative. Users are interested in the availability and cost. The novelty is also being pointed out. Some users love the icons. There's expressed willingness to purchase, as well as congratulations to Brian Chesky and Chris Messina. A marketing tool was also promoted in relation to this launch.

The primary criticism revolves around a lack of clarity regarding the product's availability and associated costs. This issue seems to be a point of confusion or mild concern among potential users.

Avatar
130
13
23.1%
15.4%
13
130
23.1%
15.4%
Relevance

Offsite - Airbnb for team retreats

13 Mar 2024 Remote Work Travel Hotels

Save time, money, and stress when planning team retreats. Access 20%+ discounts on room blocks, meeting spaces, and more at premier offsite venues worldwide. Join hundreds of top startups, VCs, and remote/hybrid teams using Offsite today.

Offsite's launch is being met with widespread excitement and congratulations. Users highlight its value in simplifying retreat planning, especially for remote teams and resource-strapped startups. The intuitive UX, efficient cost-cutting, and quality team retreat solutions are repeatedly praised. Several users express anticipation to try Offsite for future events and appreciate the growing selection of venues. International expansion, particularly into Canada, is a desired feature. The importance of offsites for fostering company culture and successful remote work is also emphasized. Past collaborators share positive experiences working with the Offsite team.

Criticism focuses on the lacking quality of Breather's NYC locations. A user also suggested implementing personalized itinerary building based on team size and preferences to improve user experience.

Avatar
318
27
37.0%
3.7%
27
318
37.0%
3.7%
Top