💡 Business Solution
A product design case study
Streamlined Airbnb's Gap Night Booking for Maximum Revenue
Book gap nights for Airbnb hosts to increase revenue.
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Overview
Across thousands of short-term rental owners, unbooked single nights between reservations create frustrating revenue gaps. On average, hosts lose up to 15% of their potential monthly income due to these “gap nights” left unfilled. The platform lacked an easy way to identify, price, and fill these gaps automatically without risking overbooking or guest dissatisfaction.
My mission was to design a seamless solution that allow hosts to fill these gaps effortlessly - boosting their earnings while maintaining full control over bookings.
“Every empty night on my calendar feels like money slipping through my fingers.”
- Emma, Vacation Rental Host
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Problem
Sarah is a dedicated Airbnb host with a fortunate business, but empty nights (single-night gaps between bookings) keep cutting into her revenue.
If guests extended their stay, she’d boost occupancy, increase earnings, and reduce last-minute risks, but manually reaching out is time-consuming.
These unbooked nights reduce her revenue.
Finding guests to fill them manually is time-consuming.
The policy of long stays for 2-3 days is hurting her revenue.
High maintenance cost of cleaning for 1 day or gap night bookings.
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Goal
Sarah needs the easiest way to automate this process, engage guests, and increase occupancy without extra effort.
Automatically detect and highlight 1-night gaps
Give hosts seamless control over automation settings
Suggest best pricing to encourage last-minute bookings
Reduce her stress by increasing the revenue
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My Role
As Lead Product Designer, I worked on this project from end to end
Led user research and problem validation with real hosts
Defined personas and mapped host booking journeys
Developed interactive prototypes and conducted usability testing
Collaborated closely with product managers, engineers, and data analysts
Delivered high-fidelity designs and maintained design system consistency
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Design Process
1.
Discovery & Research
Interviewed 15+ active hosts, surfacing a critical insight: most weren’t aware how often 1-night gaps were occurring or how much revenue was being lost.
Identified emotional drivers - frustration, lack of control, and fear of mispricing - that shaped the entire direction of our solution.
2.
Problem Framing
Defined the opportunity clearly: “How might we help hosts fill 1-night gaps with confidence and control — without increasing their manual work?”
Created a host persona (“Emma”) to align the team around a real-world experience and need.
Used experience mapping to highlight exact points of friction in the host booking and calendar workflow.
3.
Ideation & Prototyping
Explored multiple concepts around smart automation, pricing, and host controls.
Collaborated with product and engineering to ensure feasibility from day one.
Prototyped a dynamic calendar with real-time gap detection, visual highlights, and auto-pricing logic - all wrapped in a UI that emphasised trust and flexibility.
4.
Testing & Iteration
Tested prototypes with 10 representative hosts, uncovering hesitation around automation.
Refined copy, added toggles, and simplified onboarding to boost confidence and control.
Iterated pricing logic based on host feedback and data modeling in collaboration with analysts.
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Solution
Keep It Booked
The app automatically finds open nights, sends personalized offers, and lets Sarah control pricing and approvals. With minimal effort, she fills gaps, earns more, and increases the guest experience—all while enjoying her morning coffee.
Led user research and problem validation with real hosts
Defined personas and mapped host booking journeys
Developed interactive prototypes and conducted usability testing
Collaborated closely with product managers, engineers, and data analysts
Delivered high-fidelity designs and maintained design system consistency
Automated Calendar Scanning
Detects orphan gap nights and identifies eligible guests for extended stays.
Personalized Guest Offers
Sends customized, time-sensitive offers with special discounts to encourage longer stays.
Host-Controlled Automation
Allows hosts to choose between auto-sending offers or requiring approval before sending.
Dynamic Pricing & Discounts
Enables hosts to set discount rules based on demand, seasonality, and guest preferences.
Seamless Guest Experience
Provides an easy, one-click extension process for guests to accept offers.
The Design Challenge
How might we create an experience that:
Encouraging guests to extend their stay effortlessly
The process should be intuitive and appealing, ensuring guests feel motivated to accept an offer without added friction.
Giving hosts flexibility & control over discounts and approvals
Hosts should be able to customize offers, set conditions, and decide whether to automate or manually approve each extension.
Providing insights on revenue impact & booking trends
Hosts need real-time data to track how gap nights are being filled, measure the financial benefits, and adjust their strategies accordingly.