Airbnb announced recently that they will be introducing a new feature that will allow travelers and vacationers to book leisure services and experiences such as massages, haircuts, personal chefs, and many other activities. These services can be both added to one’s stay, or booked independently.
Airbnb announced this week that they will be introducing a new service for travelers that will allow them to book leisure experiences to be added to their stay, or booked independently. These services include things like haircuts, massages, personal trainers, yoga classes, and more.
The company previously launched a similar feature in 2023, but put the service on pause in order to improve it and ensure that the overall stay itself was being prioritized. Airbnb is hoping that vacationers will now have a smoother time planning their perfect vacation.
CEO Brian Chesky stated that they implemented these new services to take advantage of the popularity of Airbnb, which was utilized by over 1.5 billion devices last year, even though many users log onto the site without booking a home, according to reports.
Airbnb announced that during the initial implementation of these new services, users will be able to book experiences across 10 categories: makeup, nails, hair, personal training, personal chef made meals, massages, spa treatments, photography, massages, and catering.
“What’s great about Airbnb is that you get unique accommodations that you can’t find anywhere else. We think about our new offerings the same way,” Judson Coplan, VP of Product Marketing at Airbnb, told media outlet TechCrunch.
“These experiences and services are a way to experience a city like a local. We think that these are natural extensions to home [stays].”
These services will be offered in 100 cities across eight countries worldwide. Airbnb is hoping to compete with the likes of other travel sites such as Tripadvisor, and experience booking providers like Yelp.
Ivan Mehta from Techcrunch reported that Airbnb will initially offer experiences including “cultural and museum tours; outdoor, watersport, and wildlife experiences; food tours and cooking classes; art workshops and shopping experiences; and workout, wellness, and beauty experiences.”
As time progresses, the travel site will implement experience guidance across 19 categories in 1,000 cities around the world.
Coplan discussed that they really wanted Airbnb to provide a type of vacation experience that the traveler may not even have originally planned, and give them the chance to have a truly unique trip. The feature can also help users find experiences in their own towns to explore and take advantage of.
In line with these new features, Airbnb has been consistently upgrading their social features so users can better connect with one another in order to plan their best trip. They’ve updated their profile pages to allow users to write more about themselves, where they live, the experiences they’ve had, and more.
“There was a huge increase in the number of people who wanted to share more about themselves. For us, that was a clue that travel is something about connections,” he stated.
“Whether it’s your host, people you travel with, or people you meet along the way, there is, especially in this moment of time, a desire to connect with other people.”
Regardless of if travelers have already booked their trips or not, they’ll be able to view and book experiences and services. Hosts will also have access to a calendar and listings to help them manage various bookings through the new feature.
Additionally, users will be able to utilize a group messaging feature to speak with other groups of people who have participated in experiences before, that way they can hear directly from people who have booked services to gauge if they want to participate during their trip. They can also exchange photos, videos, and overall reviews.
Coplan also said that Airbnb will be utilizing artificial intelligence to provide customer service and help travelers plan their trip and get the best vacation experience possible.
Coplan says that over time “Airbnb will add more features to its AI assistant, including personalized answers tailored to your trip and booking, and in-line action buttons for taking quick actions, such as canceling a booking,” Mehta wrote.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
