Up in the air
Now more than 15 years-old, Airbnb is doing its best to keep things exciting for guests. It already lists some quirky stays for intrepid explorers: a Florida bowling villa; a Boeing 727 in the Costa Rican jungle; even a “dog crate on steroids” in Boston. Now, it’s doubling down on offbeat offerings.
Airbnb’s new Icons’ feature, announced Wednesday, offers the opportunity to partake in “extraordinary experiences from the world’s greatest icons”. So, if you’ve ever dreamed of going Up in Pixar’s balloon-buoyed house or sleeping in the Musée d’Orsay’s clock, now’s your chance.
But fun, marketing-friendly initiatives like Icons might not be enough to drive Airbnb’s next leg of growth in bookings, which has slowed to 12% annually from 20% the year before. Indeed, with more than 7.7 million active listings worldwide, Airbnb has faced increasing scrutiny for driving out residents, with major cities like New York and Paris, where affordable accommodation is increasingly scarce, bringing in measures that limit residents’ ability to list homes on some short-term rental platforms.
That’s potentially why Airbnb is looking to reinvent itself, with CEO Brian Chesky describing 2024 as an “inflection point” for the company, which eventually wants to “move beyond travel”. First stop… experiences.
Bon voyeur: If ticking off locals is one thing, creeping out guests is another. As of April 30, Airbnb imposed a worldwide ban on indoor security cameras.
