PROBLEM
There are more than 1,400 properties listed on the website. Compared to competitor sites, our collection was on the smaller end (granted, properties are only added by invitation only). Concerned with not having any properties displayed in search results, management had requested development to display properties that may not be completely available for a guest’s dates on the results page.
The search algorithm was updated like so: If a guest selected three nights, a property that was available for at least one of those nights would appear in search results. If a guest selected four nights, a property that was available for at least two of those nights would appear.
This worked out for guests who were flexible, and could book a stay outside of their original dates. However, it was extremely frustrating for users who had strict dates. The search results page displayed property thumbnails, and guests had to click on each property to check their availability calendar only to find out many of them were unavailable.