Split Billing Workflow for Vacation Rentals With Group Chat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing travel booking systems lack features for split billing and integrated communication for group trips, making it difficult for multiple individuals to coordinate and share expenses on vacation rentals, especially when one person's credit card is maxed out or they are uncomfortable with collecting money from friends.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for split billing and integrated communication within a travel platform that allows users to identify suitable properties for multiple travelers, invite friends to split the booking, manage fee distribution, and facilitate real-time chat for trip planning, ensuring the transaction is only completed when all participants agree and have suitable credit cards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If one person books the entire vacation rental, then the booking can be completed immediately, but the booker must fund the entire transaction and then collect money from friends
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the total booking cost into separate portions for each traveler. Each participant contributes their share directly to the booking system, eliminating the need for one person to fund the entire transaction and subsequently collect from others. This segmentation of payment responsibility resolves the financial coordination difficulty while maintaining efficient booking completion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the booking function with integrated communication tools (chat, voting, planning features) within a single platform. This merging eliminates the need to switch between external chat applications and the booking site, allowing seamless coordination of group travel plans, expense splitting, and trip details management in one unified system.
2Reliability
If the rental fee exceeds the maximum on a credit card, then the transaction cannot be completed, but alternative payment methods complicate the process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the total payment amount into multiple smaller portions, each payable by a different participant using their own credit card. This allows the group to book properties that cost more than any single card's limit by distributing the payment across multiple cards, ensuring reliable transaction completion without requiring complex alternative payment arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The booking system is designed to accept multiple payment methods and configurations within a single transaction framework. It can handle scenarios where different participants use different payment methods (credit cards, debit cards, other forms) while maintaining a unified booking process, thereby simplifying what would otherwise be a complex multi-step payment arrangement.
3Ease of operation
If users access external chat applications to discuss travel plans, then communication is possible, but it becomes difficult to access travel website information and coordinate bill-splitting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the communication functionality (chat, group discussions, voting) directly into the travel booking platform. Users can discuss travel plans, share property links, coordinate timelines, and make decisions about the trip without leaving the booking site. This integration prevents information loss that occurs when switching between external chat applications and the booking website, as all communications are contextualized with the relevant booking information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides an intermediary communication layer that bridges the gap between multiple travelers and the booking process. The integrated chat and coordination tools act as a mediator that keeps all trip-related discussions, decisions, and billing arrangements within the same ecosystem, eliminating the need to copy-paste information between external applications and the booking site.
4Productivity
If one person collects money from friends to cover their share, then the booking can be made, but the booker feels uncomfortable with future collection of money
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the payment responsibility so that each traveler contributes their portion directly to the booking system rather than one person collecting from others. This eliminates the social discomfort of money collection while maintaining efficient booking completion, as the system automatically aggregates the segmented payments from all participants.
Solution Approach 2:
Each participant independently contributes their share of the booking cost through the system, without requiring another person to solicit or collect the funds. This self-service payment model removes the awkward social interaction of money collection while ensuring all necessary funds are gathered for the booking.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are example embodiments for systems and methods for split rental of a property. The systems and method include identifying a suitable property, determine that the property is suitable for more than one person, and transfer to split booking based on the determination. The systems and method also include receive input of a number of split-bookers, receive input on how to split fees, transmit notification to the split-bookers, receive agreement to split-book from a split-booker, and select a sharing amount based on the received agreement. The systems and method include determine when the total fee is covered, when the total fee is covered, determine that the booking is still available, and complete booking based on the determination that the booking is still available.