Onboarding project | Airbnb

What is Airbnb?

Airbnb is an online marketplace connecting travelers with hosts offering unique accommodations, from private rooms and apartments to luxury villas and boutique stays. Founded in 2008, Airbnb has revolutionized the hospitality industry by enabling people to monetize their extra space while providing guests with affordable and personalized lodging experiences across the world.

"Imagine a world where you can stay anywhere like a local. Airbnb is a global marketplace that connects travelers with unique places to stay, from cozy city apartments to beachfront villas. With Airbnb, hosts earn by sharing their space, and guests get an affordable, authentic experience—anywhere in the world. It’s not just about booking a stay; it’s about unlocking a new way to travel."

The Core Value Proposition of Airbnb

At its core, Airbnb provides a unique, affordable, and community-driven alternative to traditional hospitality. It connects travelers with local hosts, offering authentic, diverse, and often more affordable accommodation options while enabling hosts to monetize their spaces effortlessly.

For Travelers:
- Stay in real homes and neighborhoods rather than generic hotel rooms.
- More cost-effective than hotels with options ranging from budget stays to luxury villas.
- Choose from a variety of unique accommodations, from treehouses to castles.
For Hosts:
- Easily rent out unused space for additional revenue.
- Access millions of potential guests worldwide.
- Airbnb handles bookings, payments and provides host protection.
For the Hospitality Industry & Communities:
- Drives tourism to lesser-known areas.
- Anyone can become a host and participate in the shared economy.
- A simple, secure platform with reviews, customer support, and insurance coverage.

Research Overview:

I conducted my research with 7 users who actively travel and use online booking platforms, including Airbnb. The users have diverse backgrounds, ranging from freelancers and students to startup founders and corporate professionals. Their travel behaviors, accommodation choices, and pain points were analyzed to refine Airbnb’s growth strategy and onboarding experience.

Go through all the user interviews here.

Based on the user interviews, we've narrowed it to 3 different ICP types:

1. Comfortable Luxury Travelers:

These travelers prioritize comfort, reliability, and premium experiences. They often switch between luxury hotels and Airbnb but are drawn to Airbnb’s spacious, high-end stays that blend local charm with modern luxury. While they love the unique, home-like feel, inconsistent service and a lack of concierge options make them hesitant, leading them to compare Airbnb with hotels before booking.

2. Travel Enthusiasts:

These travelers explore frequently and value flexibility, local experiences, and affordability. They switch between Airbnb and hotels depending on location, cost, and availability. Airbnb attracts them with authentic stays and better group travel options, unlike other stays that have inconsistent service and strict cancellation policies, which are major pain points that are addressed in Airbnb. They choose Airbnb for its space, privacy, and local immersion.

3. Budget Travelers:

Highly cost-conscious travelers who seek affordable stays over premium experiences. Airbnb appeals to them for lower prices, shared stays, and better privacy than hostels. They remain loyal if Airbnb ensures transparent pricing and better quality in budget stays.

Criteria	ICP 1	ICP 2	ICP 3
Name	Comfortable Luxury Travelers	Travel Enthusiasts	Budget Travelers
Age	30 - 45	22 - 35	18 - 26
Gender	Male, Female	Male, Female	Male, Female
City	Tier 1 2, 3	Tier 1, 2	Tier 1, 2, 3
Where do they work?	Startup, Corporate, Contractor, Business	Startups, Corporate, Freelancers, Career Break, Business	Freelancer, Contractor, Software agency, Students
Job Roles	Business Owner, Associate Director, Senior leadership roles	Developers, Analysts, Marketing Manager, Designers, Freelancers	Students, Designers, Junior Developers
Marital Status	Single, Married, Married with kids	Single, Married with kids	SIngle
Income levels	12 - 45+ LPA	10 - 25 LPA	5 - 14 LPA
Most Used Apps	Facebook, Instagram, Slack, Whatsapp, Zomato, Linkedin, BookMyShow, Grow	Swiggy, Netflix, Instagram, YouTube, Amazon, Urban Company	Instagram, Rapido, Netflix, Tinder, Redbus
Hobbies / Leisure Activities	Movies, Foreign Trips, Explore different foods, Parties	Weekend Trips, Social Media, Self Improvement, Trekking, Spend time with kids	Go on dates and hang out with friends, Parties, Bike Raids, and movies
How often do they travel?	Once in 3 months or once in 6 months	Twice a month, once every 2 months	Twice a month, once in 6 months
While travelling, what do they prefer: time or money?	Time	Both	Money
Average spending during travel	30k - 4L	15k - 1L	5k - 30k
Accommodation spending per night	3.5k - 10k	2k - 6k	800 - 2k
Stay duration per trip	2 days to 2 weeks	2 days to 7 days	1 day to 5 days
Pain points during travel	Hidden fees and Poor hygiene	Booking not getting accepted by the hotel after arrival, Photos not matching the stay	Hidden Fees, Reservation not being accepted, and payment issues
Other online booking platforms they use?	Agoda, Hotels.com, Booking.com	Booking, Trivago, Agoda	MakeMyTrip, Booking, Zostel
Reason for choosing Airbnb?	Luxury and convenience	Family-friendly options and Great customer support	Local experiences, cost-saving
Most Desired Feature	Recommendations and Personalisation	Communication with the host and Accurate Images	Easy to filter stays based on requirements, map view and price range

ICP Prioritization

Criteria	Adoption Rate	Appetite to Pay	Frequency of Use Case	Distribution Potential	TAM ( users/currency)
ICP 1 -(Comfortable Luxury Travelers)	High – Prefer Airbnb for premium stays, but compares with hotels	High – Willing to pay for comfort & unique stays	Medium – Travel occasionally for work/leisure	High – Can be targeted via premium travel partnerships & concierge services	🧍‍♂️ Large: High-spending segment in urban & business hubs
ICP 2 - (Travel Enthusiasts)	High – Actively switch between Airbnb and hotels	Medium – Budget-conscious but value quality	High – Frequent travelers who explore new places High–frequent	High – Strong word-of-mouth & social media-driven adoption	🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️ Larger: Digital nomads, frequent travelers, and explorers
ICP 3 - (Budget Travelers)	Medium – Use Airbnb when it's cheaper than hostels/hotels	Low – Highly price-sensitive, seeks the cheapest options	Medium – Travel when budget allows	Medium – Requires discount-driven acquisition strategies	🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️ Largest: Mass market segment, students, backpackers

From the ICP Prioritization Framework, we can see that ICP 1 and ICP 2 can be focused upon since the market for these users is large enough and the users have a good adoption rate, appetite to pay & high frequency of use of the product!

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Who: We'll be validating the JTBD for ICP 1 and ICP 2

What: The ICP struggles to find time for travel but is eager to explore new places. Traditional hotels often feel overpriced for the value they offer, with limited satisfactory options. They’ve tried platforms like MakeMyTrip, Agoda, and Booking.com, but hidden charges and poor customer support made the experience frustrating, especially when issues arose. Airbnb emerged as a game-changer, offering affordable, home-like stays with the added benefit of local hosts acting as guides, helping them discover hidden gems in each city.

Why:

Goal Priority	Goal Type	Ranking	JTBD	Validation approach	Validation
ICP 1 -(Comfortable Luxury Travelers)	Personal	Primary	To have a seamless, premium stay experience with top-notch amenities.	User interviews	"When I travel, I want to worry less and enjoy myself. I don’t want to deal with check-in hassles or basic stays—I want something that feels special and effortless."
Social	Secondary	To stay in aesthetically pleasing and exclusive places that align with their lifestyle.	User interviews	"I love places that are beautifully designed. If I’m spending money, I want the place to be unique and feel premium, not just another generic hotel room."
ICP 2 - (Travel Enthusiast)	Personal	Primary	To explore new places frequently while having a reliable and smooth accommodation experience.	User interviews	"I travel a lot, and I don’t want to waste time worrying about whether my stay is going to be clean, safe, or convenient. It should just work."
Finacial	Secondary	To find great stays at fair prices without unexpected costs.	User interviews	"I don’t mind spending, but I hate hidden fees. Just show me the real price upfront so I can decide without second-guessing."

Airbnb App Teardown:

Airbnb Onbarding Teardown.pdf

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Things that are working and can have a high chance of Activation are highlighted considering ICP 1 and ICP 2 based on the Onboarding teardown.

Based on the user interviews, we've narrowed their time to activation and their activation metrics below:

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We've curated hypotheses to track activation metrics from the available data:

Hypothesis	Justification	Commitment Impact	Retention Impact	Referral Impact	LTV
User books their first stay within 7 days of signing up	Early booking indicates strong intent and satisfaction with Airbnb’s offerings. A seamless onboarding experience, competitive pricing, and trust in hosts drive this. Users who book early are more likely to return.	Medium	High	Medium	Medium
User wishlists at least 3 stays within the first 1 - 4 weeks	Creating wishlists shows engagement and future booking intent. Users browsing and saving properties are exploring Airbnb as a long-term option rather than just comparing prices.	High	High	Medium	High
User shares a stay listing with at least one friend or family member within 3 days of finding it	When users discover a stay they like, they often discuss it with their travel group before booking. Encouraging easy sharing increases engagement and conversion.	Low	Medium	High	Medium
User interacts with the host or checks reviews before booking	Users who engage with hosts or read reviews demonstrate trust-building behavior, reducing booking hesitation. Encouraging this behavior can improve activation rates.	Medium	High	Medium	Medium
User refers a friend after 1 -2 bookings	Referrals show strong advocacy and trust in the platform. Users who successfully refer others are often more engaged and likely to book more frequently.	Medium	High	High	Medium
User books a second stay within 30 - 90 days	Repeat bookings within 60 days indicate that Airbnb has become their go-to option for travel stays. Ensuring high-quality experiences encourages this behavior.	High	High	Medium	High