Airbnb is planning a new category of accommodations in its summer update. The platform wants to use “icons” to differentiate itself from the traditional hotel industry.
Airbnb wants to ring in the travel summer with eleven “iconic” accommodations and offer lucky winners a top-class travel experience, as “Business Insider” reports, citing a statement from the travel platform. The special locations range from the flying house from the Disney hit film “Up” and a Ferrari museum to a night in the clock room at the Musée d’Orsay.
In the travel platform’s announcement, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says his company wants to “bring more magic to the real world” with the new feature and announces “the world’s most extraordinary experiences.” The “Icon” accommodations are intended to make places from music, film, television, art, sports and more accessible. Guests received insights into “worlds that previously only existed in their imagination,” Chesky is quoted as saying in the statement.
Business Insider analyzes that the platform plans to further differentiate itself from the traditional hotel industry by adding exceptional experiences. In addition, special accommodations have brought the platform enormous attention in the past. One of them was the so-called Barbie House in Malibu, which, according to the CEO, generated “more interest than our IPO.” With the “Icons”, Airbnb wants to build on this success and make the extraordinary experiences accessible to a wider audience.
According to Business Insider, the “Iconic” nights are offered either for free or at a price of under $100 per night. Chesky promises that about 4,000 people will receive golden tickets this year, similar to those from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
Participants are selected randomly from a pool of interested parties who have to explain why they are interested in the experience. One of the most spectacular offerings is an exact replica of the flying house from the movie “Up,” complete with over 8,000 balloons. However, this house can be flown using a specially rented crane, which is otherwise used to assemble wind turbines.
The ad for the Balloon House from “Up” lists the film’s character Carl Fredricksen as the host. According to the description, he lives there in retirement with his talking dog Dug. Of course this is an advertising stunt, it’s about something special.
The “X-Mansion,” another “iconic” accommodation, also has a fictional character listed as the host. Jubilee from the new Marvel series “X-Men ’97” is supposed to welcome her guests there. Instagram users can already marvel at video footage of this property on the social media platform
The host of another special accommodation on the platform is very real and almost royal. Users with the necessary cash can rent the British royal family’s summer residence via Airbnb. King Charles III is the owner of the house.
A man orders a pizza to take away in Rimsting in Bavaria, but wants to eat it in the pizzeria. The innkeeper asks him to leave. What happens next is incredible.
The influx of tourists in many destinations is taking drastic proportions. Traveling is increasingly becoming a basic need. Locals are annoyed by the crowds of holidaymakers and are protesting. A tourism expert explains what this means for holidays in popular regions.