Airbnb: Group Reservation

Problem

Currently, Airbnb only allows individuals to book accommodations. When traveling in groups, one person is responsible for covering the entire payment upfront. Friends or colleagues then reimburse them using separate payment methods like Zelle or Venmo. This process is inconvenient and lacks transparency.

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Challenge

Design a seamless experience that allows different groups of travelers to easily split the cost of an Airbnb booking without relying on a single individual to pay the full amount when reserving.

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Solution

We introduced a new feature called “Split by Group”, enabling one group member to initiate the booking and invite others to pay their share through a shared payment link. This makes the process more collaborative, transparent, and less financially burdensome for the organizer.

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Research

We surveyed 24 Airbnb users who had booked group stays to understand their payment habits and frustrations. We created an affinity map to identify the scope of the app. This exercise helped us decide on the design direction and the four key areas we should work on based off the user interview feedback:

One person typically pays upfront, and others reimburse via Zelle or Venmo.
Groups were usually 2–4 people, most often friends or family.
Costs were most often split evenly, though sometimes by room or nights.
Hidden fees at checkout were a major frustration.

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Competitor Analysis

We analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to identify gaps in the market.

VRBO – Similar booking model but no built-in split payment option.
Splitwise – Strong at flexible expense splitting and cost transparency.
Uber – Simple “split fare” feature with automated reminders.

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Information Architecture

We created an information architecture for the current Confirm & Pay page and selected the specific section we wanted to improve and build upon, which was from the “Choose how to pay” option.

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Ideation

How might we create a collaborative way to organize and split the cost of group accommodations so that the group doesn’t have to depend on one person paying the total cost at checkout?

To explore possible solutions, we used:

Crazy 8s – to rapidly sketch and explore different UI directions and flows.‍
Mind Mapping – to branch out from user pain points and spark feature ideas.

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Wireframes

Using insights from our research and ideation exercises, we mapped out an improved user flow focused on the organizer experience. We developed three sets of wireframes to accommodate real-world group travel scenarios: