How to Offer Airbnb-Style Bookings on Your Shopify Store

How to Offer Airbnb-Style Bookings on Your Shopify Store

Jul 8, 2025

Enable Airbnb-style booking flows on Shopify easily

Sarah is a local tour guide who’s been hosting immersive city walking tours on Airbnb. While her business is booming, she’s frustrated by the high fees and lack of control over her branding and booking flow. She wants a solution that gives her more ownership of the customer experience, removes middlemen, and offers a seamless way to book and manage her services. After researching options, Sarah decided to move her booking system to Shopify — a platform that could handle her Airbnb-style experiences while giving her the control she craved.

In this article, we’ll guide you through how to set up Airbnb-style bookings directly on your Shopify store, making it easier for you to host workshops, local tours, cooking classes, and other bookable experiences. We’ll cover the tools you’ll need, the right apps to use, and how to promote your offerings effectively.

Sarah is a local tour guide who’s been hosting immersive city walking tours on Airbnb. While her business is booming, she’s frustrated by the high fees and lack of control over her branding and booking flow. She wants a solution that gives her more ownership of the customer experience, removes middlemen, and offers a seamless way to book and manage her services. After researching options, Sarah decided to move her booking system to Shopify — a platform that could handle her Airbnb-style experiences while giving her the control she craved.

In this article, we’ll guide you through how to set up Airbnb-style bookings directly on your Shopify store, making it easier for you to host workshops, local tours, cooking classes, and other bookable experiences. We’ll cover the tools you’ll need, the right apps to use, and how to promote your offerings effectively.

Table of Contents

What Does “Airbnb-Style” Mean for Shopify Merchants?

When we talk about Airbnb-style bookings, we’re referring to time-based, bookable experiences that customers can easily schedule, pay for, and enjoy. These services are typically location-based (e.g., tours, workshops, and local events) and require a seamless booking system to manage availability and payments.

Here’s what Airbnb-style experiences on Shopify could look like:

  • Time-based experiences: Services that are scheduled at specific times, such as guided walks, cooking classes, or workshops.

  • Location-based scheduling: Allow customers to select a location (e.g., city tours, location-based workshops) when booking.

  • Add-ons or upsells: You can offer additional products such as event kits, merchandise, or exclusive experiences that complement the main service.

  • Automated booking system: An app to handle real-time availability, manage bookings, and send automated reminders.

  • Ownership and branding: Unlike Airbnb, which takes a cut, Shopify allows you to retain full control over your customer experience and branding, helping to establish your unique identity.

By moving away from third-party platforms like Airbnb, you gain more control over booking flow, pricing, and marketing while keeping all the profits.

Step-by-Step: How to Set Up Airbnb-Style Booking on Shopify

Setting up your Shopify store for bookable experiences is straightforward if you follow these steps:

1. Create Your Shopify Store

Sign up for Shopify and choose a theme that suits your business. Make sure it’s mobile-friendly and visually appealing, as many customers will be browsing on their phones.

2. Add Bookable Services as Products

The next step is to create your experiences as service-based products in your Shopify store. You’ll set up services like “Guided City Walking Tour” or “Cooking Class for Beginners” as products in your catalog. Each service can have different variants (e.g., dates and times).

3. Choose the Right Shopify Booking App

You’ll need a Shopify booking app for experiences. There are several options available that can handle real-time availability and manage bookings for activity scheduling. Popular apps include Sesami, BookThatApp, and Cowlendar.

4. Set Up Time Slots, Duration, and Availability

After installing the booking app, set up the time slots for your experiences. Specify how long each session will last (e.g., a 2-hour walking tour) and the availability (e.g., every Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM).

5. Add Multi-Location or Event-Based Logic

If you offer experiences at different locations or for different types of events, you can use the app to manage these. For example, if you’re offering city tours in multiple locations, the app can help you manage availability across multiple locations or event types.

6. Customize Your Booking Pages

Design a custom booking page for each experience. You’ll want this page to be easy to navigate, with clear information about the service, pricing, date availability, and any add-ons (like merchandise or extra sessions). Shopify allows you to customize booking pages to suit your brand.

7. Enable Calendar Sync and Automated Reminders

Enable Google Calendar sync or iCal integration for seamless updates. You should also set up automated reminders for your customers via email or SMS to reduce no-shows and ensure your customers never forget their bookings.

8. Combine Bookings with Product Upsells

Add upsells to your bookings by offering products like event kits, merchandise, or exclusive items. For example, a cooking class could offer a recipe book or special utensils as an add-on.

Best Booking Apps for Airbnb-Style Services on Shopify

Here are some of the best appointment software for experiences on Shopify:

1. Cowlendar (Top Recommendation)

  • ✅ Instant bookings without Shopify checkout

  • ✅ Staff assignment, room/equipment logic

  • ✅ Google Calendar sync per staff

  • ✅ POS integration for walk-ins

  • ✅ Admin calendar with staff filters

  • ✅ SMS/email reminders

  • ✅ Deposits, upsells, waitlists

  • ✅ Multi-location support

  • ✅ Mobile-optimized booking widgets

  • ✅ Staff performance reporting

  • ❌ Some features require a paid plan

2. Apntly (Appointly)

  • ✅ Staff and class scheduling

  • ✅ Google Calendar + POS + Zoom

  • ✅ Custom forms

  • ❌ No equipment/room support

  • ❌ Onboarding unclear

3. Appointo

  • ✅ Staff assignment, rooms, and rentals

  • ✅ POS + Zoom

  • ✅ Deposits and upsells

  • ✅ Admin dashboard

  • ❌ Setup complexity can be high

4. Easy Appointment Booking (Servicify)

  • ✅ Basic staff logic

  • ✅ POS + Zoom + deposits

  • ✅ Easy setup for solo businesses

  • ❌ No reporting or advanced filters

5. BookThatApp (BTA)

  • ✅ Advanced staff/room logic

  • ✅ POS, Zoom, forms, calendar tools

  • ❌ Steep learning curve

  • ❌ No upsells noted

6. Sesami

  • ✅ Multi-location staff logic

  • ✅ POS, Google Calendar, onboarding

  • ❌ Limited customization

  • ❌ No upsells

Feature Comparison Table

Feature

Cowlendar

Apntly

Appointo

Easy Appointment

BookThatApp (BTA)

Sesami

Instant Booking

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Group / Event Booking

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Rentals / Equipment

✅

❌
Unspecified

❌
Unspecified

❌
Unspecified

❌
Unspecified

❌
Unspecified

Shopify POS Integration

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Google Calendar Sync

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Zoom Integration

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Email / SMS Reminders

✅

❌
Unspecified

✅

✅

✅

✅

Deposits Supported

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Upsells Supported

✅

✅

✅

✅

❌
Unspecified

❌
Unspecified

Customizable Forms

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Embedded Widget

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Mobile-Responsive Design

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Admin Dashboard

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Onboarding Experience

✅

❌ Unspecified

❌ Unspecified

❌ Unspecified

❌ Unspecified

✅

Complexity / Entry Barrier

✅ Easy

✅ Easy

❌ High

✅ Easy

❌ High

✅ Medium


How to Market Your Experiences on Shopify

Once your experience booking system is set up, the next step is marketing. Here are some strategies to help you attract more customers:

Create Local Landing Pages

For each of your Airbnb-style bookings, create SEO-optimized landing pages like “Book a Pottery Class in [City]” or “Guided Tours of [City]”. This will help your business rank in local searches, driving more organic traffic to your Shopify store.

Blogging to Drive SEO

Write blog posts related to your experiences. For example, a city tour business might blog about “Top Things to Do in [City]” or “A Local’s Guide to the Best Attractions”. Not only will this help with SEO, but it will also position you as an authority in your niche.

Collect and Display Reviews

Social proof is essential. Encourage customers to leave reviews and share their experiences. Display them prominently on your site to increase credibility.

Use Instagram and TikTok

Show real-life snippets of your bookable experiences on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Post before-and-after photos, behind-the-scenes footage, and customer testimonials to engage followers and encourage bookings.

Email Marketing for Repeat Bookings

Set up automated email flows to keep customers engaged and encourage repeat bookings. For example, you can send reminders, special offers, or related experiences based on past bookings.

FAQ: Selling Experiences on Shopify

Can I host local tours on Shopify?

Yes, Shopify allows you to sell local tours and bookable experiences through apps like Cowlendar or Sesami. These apps manage your availability, bookings, and payments, allowing you to host Airbnb-style bookings on your own website.

What’s the best booking system for workshops or events?

Cowlendar is a highly recommended option. It offers multi-location support, real-time availability, and POS integration for in-person events. It’s ideal for businesses offering workshops or local events.

How do I connect Shopify bookings with Google Calendar?

Most Shopify booking apps, including Cowlendar, Sesami, and BookThatApp, support Google Calendar sync, ensuring that your appointments are always up-to-date and accurately reflected across platforms.

Can I offer seasonal pricing for my experiences?

Yes, with Cowlendar, you can set seasonal pricing based on demand. This helps you adjust prices during peak seasons to maximize revenue from high-demand times.

With the right tools, you can easily offer Airbnb-style bookings on your Shopify store and provide customers with seamless booking experiences. Whether you're hosting local tours, workshops, or online classes, Shopify’s flexibility and powerful apps make it the perfect platform for managing bookable services.

👉 Try Cowlendar for your experiences today.

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