Latest on the blog

Friday 6 June 2014

New Flat Pages Live Today!



As you can see we've done a spring refresh on flat postings: better navigation, more information about the flat new details about the neighbourhood. Here's a breakdown of the best enhancements:

1. Improved Descriptions

We've taken the most important info for our guests and put it right out in the flat description. See straight away if it is a shared room or private room, if wifi is available, or if there is an en-suite. We've also created neighbourhood guides for the London properties on our site - and we’ll roll out in more cities soon. These have been written by FlatClub and provided by the community - get in touch if you'd like to make a contribution!

2. New Layout & Improved Navigation

We’re using a more intuitive layout where the most important information for you is highlighted. Gone are the tabs - now everything is scrollable on one page and internally linked through 4 icons - Pictures, Flat & Host, Location & Transport, and Reviews. The new cover photos will highlight compelling parts of the property- we think it is a great place for hosts to highlight a particularly attractive area or what they see when they look outside their window.

3. Calendar Tab Updates

We've adjusted the way we calculate available/not available on the calendar to account for check-in and check-out dates. Now, when a guest is checking into a flat, that is counted as a 'half day not available', rather than the entire day not being available. This means more freedom & accuracy for checking in and out.

4. Map Updates - Neighbourhood


We've made some huge updates to the map, which will make it so much easier for guests to answer their own questions about a flat. Transportation & neighbourhood staples - coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores and more - will be overlaid via the amazing Yelp API. You'll know the best places around the flat before you even arrive. We're pleased that we now can show the three nearest public transit options from the flat.

Another incredibly exciting feature is on-page information for your commute time. This is perfect for finding how long it will take to get to campus, your job site, or wherever else you want to go! We give three options - time by car, time by public transport, and the time by walking. Just enter in your destination once, and we'll save it for all flats you view. You'll also see on the map nearby FlatClub stays - the pins have details such as guest's name, and the guest's clubs. It's a great way to get a feel for the area, you may want to stay where other members of your clubs have had a good time.

5. Booking Process


Take advantage of our excellent customer service - now it's easier than ever with an embed on each flat listing to call us directly from your browser using Skype. The price breakdown is also more transparent than ever, so you'll more easily find what you're paying and why. The price per night, number of nights, a cleaning fee, club discounts, and any additional charges per guest will be displayed clearly on the flat listing.

7. More Info on the Host


Also prominently displayed on the flat listing is more information on the hosts: important information like when their calendar was last updated & their average response time.

You’ll also notice new host categories, they are defined as such:

Experienced Host - a host on FlatClub who has had successful bookings.

Trusted Host - a host on FlatClub who has been verified & is ready to welcome you.

Pro Host - a host who rent out apartments and rooms as a business.

New Host - a host who recently joined & is eager to give you a great experience.

We're really proud of all the extras & improvements we've made to flat postings - is there anything else you’d like to see? Let us know on Twitter & Facebook!
Categories: ,