How To Build A Hotel Booking App Like Agoda?

The travel and hotel booking industry is huge, and apps like Agoda and Hotel.com are making millions.

Even back in 2019, online travel bookings were making $755 billion. This will reach $403 billion in 2020. While recovering from COVID, it was just around $613 billion in 2021, and 2022 was much larger than ever.

That isn’t all; the global online travel market is expected to reach 691 billion U.S. dollars by 2026. This makes it one of the largest industries in the world. And hotel booking apps are expected to grow much more popular than they are today.

Reports say that 700 million people will book their hotels online in 2023. Plus, the app for travel is expected to grow much more popular, as 57% of bookings will be made via the app.

This makes it one of the best industries to invest in today. Moreover, the market for hotel booking apps like Agoda is increasing day by day.

It’s the right time to build an app like Agoda!

So, in this blog, we shall be going through everything you need to know about building a hotel booking app.

What is Agoda App?

So, what’s Agoda exactly?

Agoda is one of the best hotel booking platforms.

Based in Singapore, this platform is an amazing example of on-demand app development done right. As such, this platform allows users to book hotels, rentals, flights, and so on.

In layman’s terms, the Agoda App allows users to book hotels, flights, and other travel-related amenities.

Now, if you are wondering how Agoda works, let’s discuss that in detail in the next section.

How Does the Agoda App Work?

How does the Agoda app work? The working of the hotel booking app is quite simple.

The process is user-friendly, as it is meant for everyone, tech-savvy or not. That’s why in this section of the blog, we shall be going through the hotel booking Process:

1. Access the Platform: The first step is to access the platform. When it comes to Agoda-like apps and websites, you can go either way.
2. Register: After accessing the platform, it’s time to register. This can be done via Google account, Apple ID, phone number, etc. Here, the users also have to provide other information.
3. Explore Services: After getting into the platform, it’s time to explore services. There are several services like hotel booking, flight booking, and so on.
4. Choose the booking: Now it’s time to choose a service that the user wants to book.
5. Pay online: eWallet integration allows users to pay for services via the mobile app itself.

This is the hotel booking process in the Agoda App.

Why Build an App Like Agoda?

Why build a travel app? Well, there are plenty of hotel apps in the market. So, what makes Agoda app development such a good choice?

The reason is that it’s good for both hotels and users. Let’s look at what these benefits are:

♦ Holy Grail For Hotels: Advantages of Hotel Booking Apps Like Agoda

Even the largest hotels in the world, in the USA, or even in Los Angeles often suffer from a lack of bookings. Let’s see how a hotel app for travel lovers solves this problem:

1. Higher Booking

The hotel booking apps allow the hotels to attract more bookings than they would usually get.

2. Automation

Mobile apps with AI & ML technologies in hotel booking allow hotels to automate cost reductions and other tasks.

3. Better Customer Engagement

With all the features and functionalities, these apps deliver much better customer engagement.

4. Positive User Experience

Hotels are notoriously known for their busy desks and long waiting times, but guess what? Apps for travel, like Agoda and Travel Advisor, don’t have front desks. This creates an overall better user experience.

5. Wider Reach

Well, the more people that reach the hotel, the higher the bookings. And with hotel booking apps, hoteliers can attract millions of audiences. As there are more than 65 billion mobile users, the user base is plenty large.

These are the advantages hotels get when they build apps like Agoda. With more bookings, better engagement, and a better user experience, hotels can build better customers and generate higher revenue.

♦ Why Do Customers Love Hotel Booking Apps Like Agoda?

Customer is the king when it comes to the travel industry. The numbers show that customers love the Agoda app for travel.

But why?

Well, let’s look at some of the top advantages that the best hotel booking apps offer. They are:

1. True 24/7 Service

Well, various platforms say they are offering 24/7, but that isn’t true. However, much to customers’ joy, they can get true 24/7 hotel booking services.

2. Explore Options

Not everyone is comfortable with going from hotel to hotel and asking about the details. App hotel booking allows users to explore options via an app.

3. Cheaper Hotels

When users can compare prices and look for the best option, they can find cheaper and budget-friendly options without issue.

4. Last-Minute Booking

The days when we booked trips months in advance are far behind us. It’s time for last-minute plans. And with these apps, anyone can book hotels at the last minute.

5. Room Photos, Details, & More

Customers get a better insight into the hotel room with photos, details, and much more.

These are some of the benefits that customers get with on-demand hotel booking apps.

Well, now that you’ve decided whether or not you want to develop an app for traveling, it’s time to learn more about the Agoda app in the next section.

Popular Apps & Websites Like Agoda

If you want to create an app for travel planning, you need to learn from the best. That’s why, in this blog, we shall be discussing some of the best hotel booking sites, which will inspire you to build apps like Agoda.

These are, as mentioned below:

• Booking.com
• Airbnb
• Expedia
• Hopper
• Hostelworld
• Hilton Honors
• HotelTonight
• Hotels.com
• Tripadvisor
• KAYAK
• Trivago
• Skyscanner

These are some of the most popular websites like Agoda and top hotel apps in the world.

Features to Include While Developing an App Like Agoda

What’s one big difference between the app for travel planning and regular travel apps that are just one more addition to the list?

The answer is FEATURES.

The right features can make an app, and the wrong ones can break it. So, when it comes to building the best app for hotel booking, you should fill it with amazing apps.

Let’s look at some of these features.

► User Panel

The user panel is one of the two panels of the hotel booking app. As the name suggests, this is the site users interact with.

Features included in this panel are, as mentioned below:

• Registration
• Hotel Information
• Online Payment Gateway
• Advanced Search Filter
• AI Chatbot
• Contact Hotel
• Compare prices
• Push Notification
• Cancellation

► Hotelier Panel

The Hotelier’s side of the Agoda app has all the required features to provide the right customer service. Let’s look at the same below:

• Manage Bookings
• Inventory management
• Contact Customers
• Customer Walk-in
• Payment Management
• Update Policies

► Advanced Features

It’s important to include some advanced features while creating an Agoda-like app to make it that much more interesting.

So, some advanced features that you should include when you build an app like Agoda are, as mentioned below:

• Recommendation
• Personalization
• Smart Travel Planning Assistant
• Fintech: Currency Exchange
• Taxi Booking Service Integration
• Language detection

Things to Consider While Building an App Like Agoda

Businesses need to take care of a few things before contacting a Hotel Booking App Development Company.

In this section, we will be going through these processes.

• Choose the Type of Hotel Booking App

So, when it comes to hotel booking app development, there are a few different types. So, before you decide to develop one, you need to choose which one.

After you have finalized which type of hotel booking app you want to develop, it’s time to choose a market.

• Choose a Market

It’s time to choose a market.

By market, we mean a location or an area in which the app will start operating. For instance, North Carolina or New York.

It’s important because no platform can cover the entire country at once. You need to decide on epicenters where they expand as the business grows.

• Research

It’s time to conduct research—a lot of research.

Information gathered during research is very valuable as it drives the entire development process. When this is done, it’s time to move on to the next process.

• Come Up With a Unique Idea

The concept is already clear, as you have selected the type of app you want to develop. However, you need to offer unique value to customers if you wish to capture the market.

That’s what you have to do in this step.

• Validate It

When you have an idea or concept at hand, it needs to be validated. You need to cross-check it. Once all of this is done, it’s time to find a data source.

• Data Source & Other API Integration

Well, if you want to create an app for traveling and hotel booking, you need plenty of data.

After all, you need information on hotels and their capacity to connect with them and communicate. One can’t collect it by getting forms filled.

That’s why we will resort to API integration. Several companies provide these services. Some of these are, as mentioned below:

• Amadeus API: € .0025 – .04 Per API Call
• Sabre API: Various Factors
• Travelport API: Various Factors
• Zodomus API: € .5 per listing monthly/ €.1 per new reservation/ €15 monthly fees.

These are APIs for hotel data. Apart from this, there are a lot of other APIs that you can integrate into the platform. Let’s look at these platforms:

Following this, it’s time to move to the next step.

• Meet Legal Compliance & Get Licenses

Well, when you build an app like Agoda, there are some legal and regulatory aspects that you will need to deal with.

Once you have acquired it all, it’s time to build Agoda App.

Steps to Make an App Like Agoda

The process to develop an app like Agoda can be simple or complex, depending on the app’s idea and the business. But in any case, the process goes as follows:

• Choosing an App Platform
• Choose Tech Stack
• Hire Dedicated Developers
• Create MVP
• Front-End Development
• Back-End Development
• Testing
• Deployment App
• App Maintenance

This is the process to build an app like Agoda.

How Does an App Like Agoda Make Money?

There are various methods you can use to monetize hotel booking apps. Therefore, in this section of the blog, we shall be discussing some of the strategies for the best app for hotel booking.

These are, as mentioned below:

• Marketplace
• Service Fees
• Subscription Fees
• Advertisement

Cost to Develop an App Like Agoda

This is how to build an app like Agoda and now it’s time to see how much all of this costs.

Well, estimating the cost to build an app like Agoda, the best app for travel booking, isn’t all that easy. The reason is that various factors affect the total development cost of a travel app.

Well, the average cost to develop an app like Agoda ranges from $20,000 to $150,000. However, many cost-defining factors that affect the Agoda-like app development cost.

If you want to learn about the accurate cost, it is recommended that you consult a mobile app development company that can help you with the process of developing an app like Agoda.

Conclusion

Do you want to build the best hotel booking app like Agoda? Well, all you need to do is reach out to a travel app development company that will convert your app idea into reality.

As you have seen, developing an app like Agoda requires a combination of strategic planning, user-centric design, and development practices.

By focusing on key features such as seamless search and booking functionality, secure payment systems, and personalized recommendations, you can create a platform like Agoda that delivers exceptional user experiences.

FAQs

Niketan Sharma

Niketan Sharma is the CTO of Nimble AppGenie, a prominent website and mobile app development company in the USA that is delivering excellence with a commitment to boosting business growth & maximizing customer satisfaction. He is a highly motivated individual who helps SMEs and startups grow in this dynamic market with the latest technology and innovation.