Apartment Rentals

Shopify Discussion
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1

Hello Shopify Community!

I am starting with building a website for apartment rentals. There are things I need to check before I really make this happen.

  1. Has anyone done this before and if yes, then any suggestions?
  2. I need to use a calendar app, so the customers can book their desired dates. What is the best app for that?
  3. I want to sync the calendar that I will be usnig in my Shopify store with Booking and Airbnb. Can this be done flawlessly?
  4. What template is good for that purpose? I like the Sense template from Shopify, but maybe there is something better already (clean & simple looking)

If you have any ideas upon that project or suggestions that could help, I am happy to hear them! :grinning_face:

2

Hey @Jas0n i have few options to solved your issue

So many people use Shopify for rental businesses it’s doable but requires the right apps since Shopify primarily e-commerce focused

Appointo OR Bookthatapp are the top choice for date-based booking on Shopify . Bookthatapp is especially popular for rentals

Sense there is a great clear choice . Alternative worth considering
Dawn (free minimal and fast )
Craft (clean & modern )
Spotlight (simple , great for single listings)

hope you like these suggestions and also don’t forget to like and mark as solution on it
BEST
MUSTAFA

3

Hey @Jas0n

Apartment rentals on Shopify definitely work. Each apartment becomes a product and a booking app handles the availability and dates.

For the booking app, I work with Cowlendar so I’m biased, but it fits this use case well. It syncs with Google Calendar, so you can connect it to Airbnb and Booking.com through Google Calendar’s iCal export. One extra step but it keeps everything in one place and avoids double bookings. It also has a built-in waiver feature if you ever need rental agreements signed. I’d also recommend comparing BookThatApp and Sesami since each handles the sync slightly differently.

For the theme, Sense is a great pick. Clean, minimal, image-focused. Honestly for rentals the theme matters less than how you structure your product pages: big photos, clear pricing, amenities listed, and the booking widget above the fold.

Good luck with the project!

4

Hi @Jas0n ,
Yes, Shopify can work well for apartment rentals if you use a booking app with date-based reservations.

Look for a booking app that supports:

  • Availability calendars
  • Airbnb & Booking.com sync (via iCal)
  • Automatic date blocking
  • Online payments

Calendar sync with Airbnb and Booking.com is possible and commonly used, though update frequency varies by app.

For themes, Sense is a solid choice clean, simple, mobile-friendly, and easy to customize for rental properties. The booking app you choose will be more important than the theme itself.

5

Hi @Jas0n

This is Vineet from Identixweb, a Shopify Development Agency.

For apartment rentals, Shopify can work, but the booking/calendar app is more important than the theme. You’ll want an app that supports date-based bookings and iCal sync, because Airbnb support syncing calendars through iCal links.

For apps, I’d check something like ShopSTR - Book Everything or IzyRent since they are more rental-focused and mention iCal/Airbnb-style calendar sync.

BookThatApp is also worth checking if you need a more general booking setup.

Just keep in mind, calendar sync is usually not flawless or instant. iCal can have delays, so if you are taking bookings from Shopify, Airbnb, and Bookingdotcom at the same time, test it carefully and keep a small buffer to avoid double bookings.

For the theme, Sense is fine if you like the clean look. I’d focus more on strong apartment pages with photos, amenities, location info, house rules, cancellation policy, FAQs, and a clear booking button. A simple theme with a good booking app will matter more than a fancy template.