SunEasy: a beach booking platform built for the Albanian Riviera
A software development case study from Square Software, Tirana. We designed, built and shipped a real-time sunbed booking app for tourists and beach operators — now serving 10,000+ users and 20,000+ bookings across 25+ beaches, with a 4.8/5 rating.
The challenge: fragmented beach bookings on the Albanian Riviera
The Albanian Riviera draws growing numbers of Albanian, Italian and EU tourists each summer, but booking a sunbed there still meant arriving early, queuing at the beach, and paying in cash — if a free lounger was even available. For visitors, the experience was unpredictable: no way to see availability before travelling, no advance reservations, and a language barrier for international guests. For beach operators, it was just as inefficient: capacity was managed by hand, payments meant handling cash all day, and there was no reliable data on how full a beach really was at any moment. Square Software set out to replace this fragmented, offline process with a single platform that worked equally well for a tourist on holiday and an operator running the beach.
No way for tourists to check sunbed availability before arriving
Long queues and uncertain availability on busy summer days
Cash-only payments slowed operators and created handling overhead
Language barriers for Italian and other international visitors
Operators lacked real-time data on beach capacity and occupancy
Our solution: real-time availability, cashless payments, three languages
We built SunEasy as a mobile-first product that lets tourists discover beaches, see live sunbed availability, book and pay in advance, and arrive to a guaranteed spot. The core of the experience is real-time availability: visitors browse beaches on an interactive map, open a beach to view amenities and pricing, pick a sunbed and time slot, and confirm instantly. Payment is fully cashless and handled in-app, so guests skip the queue and operators stop handling cash. Because the audience is international, the entire app ships in three languages — English, Italian and Albanian — so an Italian visitor and a local operator use the same product in their own language. On the operator side, an admin dashboard turns bookings, capacity and occupancy into something that can actually be managed, instead of guessed at. We rounded out the platform with the supporting features a real booking product needs: GPS location services, push notifications, weather integration, user reviews and ratings, and a loyalty program.
Real-time sunbed availability shown on an interactive map
Instant booking and confirmation with a digital ticket
Fully cashless, in-app payment integration
Multi-language interface in English, Italian and Albanian
Operator admin dashboard for bookings, capacity and occupancy
Supporting features: GPS, push notifications, weather, reviews and loyalty
Tech and architecture: React Native, Node.js, PostgreSQL, Stripe, Google Maps
SunEasy runs on a stack we chose for cross-platform reach and long-term maintainability. The mobile app is built with React Native, giving tourists a single, consistent experience while letting us ship to both iOS and Android from one codebase. The backend is a Node.js API serving the mobile clients and the operator admin dashboard, with PostgreSQL as the system of record for beaches, sunbeds, time slots, bookings and users — a relational model that keeps availability and reservations consistent under real concurrent demand. Cashless payments are handled through the Stripe API, so card processing, confirmations and the in-app checkout flow rest on proven payment infrastructure rather than something bespoke. Beach discovery and the interactive map are powered by the Google Maps API, tying live availability to real geographic locations along the coast. The result is a two-sided architecture: a consumer mobile app and an operator-facing admin panel, sharing one backend and one source of truth.
React Native mobile app — one codebase across iOS and Android
Node.js API backend serving both the app and the admin dashboard
PostgreSQL relational database for beaches, bookings and availability
Stripe API for secure, cashless in-app payments
Google Maps API for beach discovery and the interactive map
Two-sided design: consumer app plus operator admin dashboard
Results: adoption across the Riviera
SunEasy is live and in active use on the Albanian Riviera. To date the platform has reached more than 10,000 users and processed over 20,000 bookings across 25+ beaches, and it holds a 4.8 out of 5 user rating — a strong signal that the product solved a real friction point for both tourists and operators. These are the figures from the live product, not projections: a working booking platform, in three languages, taking real cashless payments at real beaches. For Square Software, SunEasy is proof that a Tirana-based team can take a product from concept to a shipped, adopted application — the same end-to-end capability we bring to client custom software, web and mobile projects.
10,000+ users on the platform
20,000+ bookings processed
25+ beaches live on SunEasy
4.8/5 user rating
A shipped, real-world product — not a prototype
What this case study says about working with Square
SunEasy is our own product, which means we owned every decision in it — the discovery, the UX, the data model, the payment flow, the operator tooling and the release. That is the same way we work as a nearshore partner for clients in Italy and across the EU. From Tirana we deliver custom software, web and mobile development at EUR 35-55/hour — typically 30-60% below Western European rates — with an English- and Italian-fluent team working in the CET timezone, so collaboration feels local rather than offshore. SunEasy shows what that combination produces: a real, multi-language, payment-enabled platform built end to end, then put in front of real users.
End-to-end delivery: discovery, design, build and release
Nearshore to Italy and the EU, working in the CET timezone
EN and IT fluent team — no language gap on client projects
EUR 35-55/hour, roughly 30-60% below Western European rates
The same capability behind SunEasy is available for client work
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SunEasy?
SunEasy is a mobile sunbed and beach booking platform for the Albanian Riviera, built by Square Software. Tourists can see real-time sunbed availability, book and pay cashless in advance, and use the app in English, Italian or Albanian. It is a live product with 10,000+ users and 20,000+ bookings across 25+ beaches.
What technologies were used to build SunEasy?
SunEasy is built with React Native for the cross-platform mobile app, a Node.js backend, and a PostgreSQL database. Cashless payments run on the Stripe API, and beach discovery with the interactive map uses the Google Maps API. The architecture covers both a consumer app and an operator admin dashboard sharing one backend.
What results did SunEasy achieve?
As a live product, SunEasy has reached more than 10,000 users, processed over 20,000 bookings, gone live on 25+ beaches, and holds a 4.8 out of 5 user rating. These are figures from the running platform, not projections.
Does the app support Italian visitors?
Yes. SunEasy ships in three languages — English, Italian and Albanian — so Italian and other international visitors can browse beaches, book and pay entirely in their own language, while local operators use the same product in Albanian.
Can Square Software build a custom booking app like SunEasy for us?
Yes. SunEasy is our own end-to-end product, and the same team can build custom booking, marketplace or mobile applications for clients. Square Software is a nearshore partner based in Tirana, delivering custom software, web and mobile development at EUR 35-55/hour with an English- and Italian-fluent team in the CET timezone. Contact us to discuss your project.
Why work with a nearshore team in Albania for this kind of project?
A Tirana-based team like Square works in the CET timezone, speaks fluent English and Italian, and delivers at roughly 30-60% below Western European rates (EUR 35-55/hour). SunEasy shows the output: a real, multi-language, payment-enabled platform built and shipped end to end — the same capability available for nearshore client projects in Italy and the EU.
Related
SunEasy: a beach booking platform built for the Albanian Riviera
A software development case study from Square Software, Tirana. We designed, built and shipped a real-time sunbed booking app for tourists and beach operators — now serving 10,000+ users and 20,000+ bookings across 25+ beaches, with a 4.8/5 rating.
