Should I Build It Should I Build It
03 May 2025
Messaging

Airbnb communication channel, help hosts and guests to chat each other

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

You're entering a "Swamp" category, characterized by existing, mediocre solutions that haven't captured the market's affection. Five similar products already exist, indicating competition. Engagement with these products is low, with an average of only one comment per product, suggesting a lack of strong user interest or passionate discussion. Regarding the Airbnb communication channel idea, it's essential to consider why current communication methods are falling short. The key is to differentiate yourself substantially; otherwise, you risk blending into a saturated and unenthusiastic market. Given the landscape, proceed with extreme caution and a healthy dose of skepticism.

Recommendations

  1. Thoroughly investigate why existing Airbnb communication methods (both within the platform and external solutions) have not fully addressed user needs. Understand the pain points of both hosts and guests. Look at the reviews and feedback of existing solutions. The comments of similar products suggest that users are dissatisfied with Airbnb's issue resolution, so focus on that.
  2. Instead of creating a standalone communication channel, explore opportunities to enhance Airbnb's existing platform. Consider building features that integrate directly into their messaging system or offer add-ons that improve communication workflow and issue resolution. Focus on accuracy when connecting hosts and guests.
  3. Identify a specific niche within the Airbnb ecosystem that is particularly underserved. This could be hosts managing multiple properties, guests with specific accessibility needs, or a particular geographic market. Narrowing your focus can help you tailor your solution to a more receptive audience. In the similar product discussions, users mentioned issues such as issue resolution and account deletions. These are niche focus areas you can target.
  4. Instead of directly competing with Airbnb, consider developing tools or services that cater to the needs of Airbnb hosts. This could include automated messaging tools, guest screening services, or tools for managing communication across multiple platforms. Partnering with Airbnb or integrating with their platform could be a more viable approach.
  5. Before committing significant resources, conduct extensive user testing and gather feedback on your proposed solution. Create prototypes and solicit input from both hosts and guests to ensure that your product meets their needs and provides tangible value. Since engagement is low, focus on generating more.

Questions

  1. What specific communication breakdowns or pain points are you addressing that Airbnb's current system and existing third-party solutions fail to solve?
  2. How can you differentiate your communication channel to avoid simply becoming another mediocre solution in a saturated market, given that engagement for similar products is very low?
  3. Given the criticisms around Airbnb's issue resolution processes, how will your solution proactively address and resolve communication-related disputes between hosts and guests?

Your are here

You're entering a "Swamp" category, characterized by existing, mediocre solutions that haven't captured the market's affection. Five similar products already exist, indicating competition. Engagement with these products is low, with an average of only one comment per product, suggesting a lack of strong user interest or passionate discussion. Regarding the Airbnb communication channel idea, it's essential to consider why current communication methods are falling short. The key is to differentiate yourself substantially; otherwise, you risk blending into a saturated and unenthusiastic market. Given the landscape, proceed with extreme caution and a healthy dose of skepticism.

Recommendations

  1. Thoroughly investigate why existing Airbnb communication methods (both within the platform and external solutions) have not fully addressed user needs. Understand the pain points of both hosts and guests. Look at the reviews and feedback of existing solutions. The comments of similar products suggest that users are dissatisfied with Airbnb's issue resolution, so focus on that.
  2. Instead of creating a standalone communication channel, explore opportunities to enhance Airbnb's existing platform. Consider building features that integrate directly into their messaging system or offer add-ons that improve communication workflow and issue resolution. Focus on accuracy when connecting hosts and guests.
  3. Identify a specific niche within the Airbnb ecosystem that is particularly underserved. This could be hosts managing multiple properties, guests with specific accessibility needs, or a particular geographic market. Narrowing your focus can help you tailor your solution to a more receptive audience. In the similar product discussions, users mentioned issues such as issue resolution and account deletions. These are niche focus areas you can target.
  4. Instead of directly competing with Airbnb, consider developing tools or services that cater to the needs of Airbnb hosts. This could include automated messaging tools, guest screening services, or tools for managing communication across multiple platforms. Partnering with Airbnb or integrating with their platform could be a more viable approach.
  5. Before committing significant resources, conduct extensive user testing and gather feedback on your proposed solution. Create prototypes and solicit input from both hosts and guests to ensure that your product meets their needs and provides tangible value. Since engagement is low, focus on generating more.

Questions

  1. What specific communication breakdowns or pain points are you addressing that Airbnb's current system and existing third-party solutions fail to solve?
  2. How can you differentiate your communication channel to avoid simply becoming another mediocre solution in a saturated market, given that engagement for similar products is very low?
  3. Given the criticisms around Airbnb's issue resolution processes, how will your solution proactively address and resolve communication-related disputes between hosts and guests?

  • Confidence: Medium
    • Number of similar products: 5
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 1
  • Net use signal: -28.0%
    • Positive use signal: 0.0%
    • Negative use signal: 28.0%
  • Net buy signal: -28.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 28.0%

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

I built an extension to contact Airbnb hosts direcly

29 Nov 2024 Travel Vacation

Hey HN,Over the years, I’ve found myself frustrated with the extra fees Airbnb. While they provide a lot of convenience, the service fees often stack up to a point where they overshadow any potential savings. I started wondering if there was a way to connect directly with property hosts and skip the middleman entirely.That curiosity led me to build getaway.direct, a free Chrome extension that helps travelers save money. It works like this:1. You browse listings on Airbnb. 2. The extension scans for direct booking links, host websites, or social media profiles where you can reach out to the host directly. 3. It shows those results instantly, so you can compare prices, avoid service fees, and book smarter.The main idea is to provide transparency. A lot of hosts already have their own websites but rely on platforms like Airbnb for visibility. This tool helps surface those direct options, which can often save you 10-20% per booking.I’d love to hear your thoughts:Would something like this be helpful to you? Also, I’m curious to get feedback on ways to improve the tool—whether it’s adding more integrations, improving usability, or something else entirely.Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.

Users expressed dissatisfaction with Airbnb's issue resolution, leading to account deletions. They expect Airbnb to ensure good practices and standards. There are concerns about the accuracy of the extension's direct link finding, and a suggestion for hosts to register directly.

Users criticize Airbnb for not taking responsibility for issues and demanding unrealistic proofs. They also question the accuracy of direct link findings and express frustration over the lack of a direct registration option for hosts.

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