Our two main learnings from Airbnb’s 2024 Summer release: the growing trend of integrating experiences in stays and the need to take control over these offers.
We’ll give a quick summary of the release, in case you don’t want to read the whole thing. Then, we’ll share our opinion on what it means for short-term rental professionals. Read on for our suggestions on seizing these opportunities to stand out of competition, elevate and monetize guest experience today.
Airbnb 2024 Summer Release in a Nutshell
Airbnb’s Strategic Shifts and Introduction to Icons
Airbnb’s recent quarterly release introduced significant changes designed to enhance user experience and expand its brand beyond traditional accommodations. One notable addition is the new category called “Icons,” which features unique experiences hosted by celebrities from various fields, including music, film, TV, art, and sports. This new offering underscores Airbnb’s efforts to diversify its services and appeal to a wider array of traveler interests.
By integrating these high-profile experiences, Airbnb aims to provide travelers with exclusive, memorable interactions that go beyond standard lodging. This move reflects a broader trend towards offering immersive and personalized travel experiences, catering to guests seeking unique and engaging activities during their stays.
New Features for Enhancing the Group Trip Experience
One of the new features is Shared Wish Lists, which allows travelers to collectively curate and manage their accommodation preferences. This feature makes it easier for groups to agree on their ideal stay by sharing and reviewing options together. Additionally, the redesigned Messages Tab centralizes communication with hosts, offering improved tools for seamless interaction. This update ensures that all members of the group can stay informed and engaged throughout the booking process, facilitating a smoother and more coordinated travel experience.
Quality Control or Strategic Tweak?
This activity suggests that Airbnb may be conducting a more extensive purge than merely performing quality control checks. The absence of clear reasoning behind the removals has left operators feeling uncertain and insecure about their future on the platform. The lack of transparency regarding the criteria for these decisions contributes to a sense of instability and apprehension among hosts and property managers, who are now grappling with concerns about their standing and continued success on Airbnb. This ambiguity can impact their strategic planning and confidence in relying on the platform as a key component of their business.
Takeaway 1: Immersive Experiences in Stays
Airbnb is clearly expanding its brand beyond traditional accommodations, taking its “experiential” offerings to new heights with the introduction of “Icons.” This new feature showcases the most extraordinary homes and experiences on the platform, hosted by celebrities and cultural icons.
Whether this move is a PR stunt or a strategic effort driven by a larger vision, it’s certainly capturing attention. High-profile listings like The Up House, X-Men Mansion, and Kevin Hart’s properties are not only sparking curiosity but also attracting a surge of new users to the platform. This initiative aligns with Brian Chesky’s vision of a ’10-star experience,’ where every detail of a guest’s stay surpasses expectations and creates unforgettable memories.
The introduction of “Icons” appears to be a strategic effort to redefine Airbnb’s brand, evolving it beyond merely providing places to stay. Over recent years, Airbnb has collaborated with major names like Disney and Pixar and introduced a variety of unique local tours and activities, including the famous Barbie house. These moves underscore Airbnb’s commitment to transforming the travel experience, making it more immersive and memorable, and reinforcing its position as a leader in experiential travel.
Designing 10-Star Guest Experience on Airbnb, by the CEO, Brian Chesky
Other platforms are also recognizing the importance of this trend. HomeToGo, for example, has integrated local experiences through partnerships with Komoot and GetYourGuide. The company is offering guests the chance to book excursions and tours as part of their stay. This highlights the growing demand for unique, personalized experiences in travel.
Conclusion 1: Offer Experiences to Your Guests
Hop in the trend and start offering experiences to your guests.
Takeaway 2: Take Control
Recently, Airbnb removed about 5K experiences to maintain high standards. This sudden move surprised providers who lost their listings. While this might improve the quality of Airbnb’s offerings, it shows how dangerous can be depending on a single platform.
And similarly to bookings, a direct channel should work better for upselling and experiences. Vacation rental operators can build direct relationships with local businesses or use platforms like Holibob and Viator. And if you want to make experiential offers seamless and simple for guests and your team, Enso Connect’s got you covered.
You can provide local experiences that guests will love. Working with local businesses directly, supporting the community, or connected through aggregators. And what’s cool about it, is that you keep the upsells money, without sharing it with Airbnb.
While platforms like Airbnb continue to set high standards for guest experience, vacation rental operators must diversify their offerings. You can build direct ties with local businesses or use aggregators that do all the work for you. This ensures you can offer authentic, memorable experiences, support the local community, and achieve greater financial independence.
Conclusion 2: Airbnb is leading the way in exceptional experiences for travellers. But it is not the only way to do this.
Let Us Show You How to Seamlessly Offer Add-On Experiences and Upsells to Your Guests
