Airbnb has announced that it is expanding beyond just offering short-term holiday lets, and is now providing “services” from in-home meals cooked by a professional chef to strength workout sessions with personal trainers while you travel.
For the past 17 years, the holiday letting agency has been focusing on helping people list their properties for guests to stay in, whether for business or leisure, across the world.
Now, Airbnb is taking its travel experiences even further this summer by launching services across 10 categories that guests can book to enhance their stay.
Alongside chef-cooked meals and personal training sessions, Airbnb users can book massages by certified therapists, as well as spa treatments, hair, make-up and nails appointments, and personalised photography sessions to capture memories from their trip.
Catering and prepared meals can also be booked if cooking is not on the agenda during your getaway.
These services will be launched across 260 cities, with new offerings and locations dropping regularly in the Airbnb app.
Service hosts will be vetted by Airbnb for quality and experience, submitting relevant licenses and certificates, and will display their qualifications, offerings and pricing on listing pages.
Airbnb says some hosts will be renowned in their fields, including Michelin-starred chefs, award-winning photographers and elite celebrity trainers.
The price ranges will vary from service to location, but the holiday lettings agency says many will include an entry offering below $50 (£37.50).
While the services can be used on the road, you don’t need to stay at an Airbnb to hire a trainer, book a massage or use any other services, as these can also be scheduled at your home.
Those who are travelling and want to immerse themselves in a destination can also book an “Airbnb Experience”, which includes tours and activities led by a local. These could involve food tours, dining experiences, museum exclusions, watersports and wildlife days out or wellness sessions led by a local host.
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Some experiences that have already launched include discovering how Notre-Dame is being rebuilt through the eyes of Axelle Ponsonnet, an architect from the restoration team, during a trip to Paris, or a tour around Harry Potter filming locations in London with TikTok historian David Harry.
The experiences are designed to be social meet-ups, and later this year users will have the ability to see who is going before they book, message the group or individual guests, and stay in touch afterwards.
To accommodate the change-ups at Airbnb, the app is getting a makeover. It will give you a detailed itinerary of your check-in details and day-to-day views of what services and experiences you’ve booked, as well as recommendations when you arrive in the area.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO, said: “Seventeen years ago, we changed the way people travel. More than two billion guests later, Airbnb is synonymous with a place to stay.
“With the launch of services and experiences, we’re changing travel again. Now you can Airbnb more than an Airbnb.
“People choose hotels for their services. People choose Airbnbs for the space,” added Mr Chesky. “Now, we’re giving you the best of both worlds – amazing homes with services that make them even more special.”
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