This week, Airbnb announced it is introducing Airbnb Experiences and Airbnb Services, in an attempt to compete with hotels.
“People choose hotels for their services. People choose Airbnbs for the space,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO. “Now, we’re giving you the best of both worlds − amazing homes with services that make them even more special.”
In the new redesigned app, users can customize their vacations.
For instance, you can now order services such as chefs, spa treatments, personal training, and professional makeup artists, among others.
The feature will be launching with 10 service types across 260 cities, with new offerings and locations dropping “regularly” in the Airbnb app, the company said in a news release.
To start, Airbnb Experiences will launch with about 22,000 experiences in 650 cities in 19 categories.
Think locals showing you the local landmarks, or cooking classes at your Airbnb.
Add to this, about 1,000 ‘Airbnb Originals’— adventures in the company of “the world’s most interesting people.” As examples, Chesky cited a mezcal-tasting session in Mexico City with an expert, a class with a ramen master in Tokyo, a dance with a K-pop performer in Seoul and a visit to Notre Dame with an architect who worked on the cathedral’s restoration.
Airbnb vows to ‘protect consumers by carefully vetting those legions of service providers,’ a critical step to gain users’ trust.