This sophisticated mansion perched in the hills overlooking Las Vegas could have been featured on MTV's “Cribs.” But the highlight of Aubrey Garza's weekend stay wasn't the palatial rooms or marble fireplaces. That's when she met her Airbnb host, Christina Aguilera.
“It was like a dream,” Garza, 26, said. When she was a child, her bedroom was decorated with posters of pop stars. Garza had won one of the “once in a lifetime” promotional stays that Airbnb has occasionally featured in recent years.
The rare but sought-after properties include private interactions with celebrities, as well as a stay in the Barbie mansion, modeled after the hit movie mansion, and a replica of Shrek's bog home in the Scottish Highlands. ing.
On Wednesday, Airbnb announced it would expand on such stunt promotions under a new permanent category called “Icons,” which features unusual and ambitious partnerships with brands and celebrities.
At a press conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky introduced the first list of icons.
Highlights included a replica of the floating house from the 2009 Pixar animated film “Up” and balloons. With the help of a giant crane, the house will be suspended above the New Mexico desert.
When asked if the home, which does not appear to be connected to the ground by pipes or wires, had plumbing or electricity, the company said it was “fully functional.” When asked for details, the company said the house is “connected to generators and other utilities, which will be disconnected and reconnected before and after the flight.”
Other listings include those made to look two-dimensional, such as a recreation of the mansion from the X-Men '97 cartoon.
The company said it expects about 4,000 customers to book stays at Icons listings in 2024, compared to only a few people who have been able to stay at Airbnb's previously great listings.
Ten more listings are planned by the end of the year. Reservation periods vary. “Up” house dates are open until mid-September.
Chesky said Airbnb hopes to leverage the success it has had with previous listings with the icon, using it as a ready-to-use promotional tool for Instagram selfies and eye-catching headlines. (Yes, we're addicted to it.)
He pointed to the successful collaboration between Airbnb and Mattel last summer, which brought the Malibu Dreamhouse to life ahead of the release of the blockbuster movie “Barbie.” This topic also piqued my interest in other brands.
“I think what they saw was that these former icons literally became cultural sensations,” Chesky said in a phone interview.
Chesky said Barbie's listing received two to three times more press coverage than when Airbnb went public in 2020. Shrek His Swamp listings have been viewed over 200 million times on the platform.
To give customers an idea of what to expect, a two-night stay Garza won earlier this year by submitting a request to book a Las Vegas mansion (hosted by Christina, according to the listing) provides a hint. I'll give it to you.
Garza, her sister, and two friends enjoyed drinks and drinks with Aguilera in the gorgeous mansion, which features glass walls, high ceilings, an infinity pool with chic deck chairs, and a high balcony overlooking the city, with accents of pink. We chatted over dinner. The perfect furniture for a girls weekend getaway. (Hotels were free; all Garza had to pay was the airfare there.)
For Airbnb, the reward for such listings is to stay relevant while countering the negative press the company has faced regarding hidden fees, hidden cameras, and the devastating impact short-term rentals have on people's lives. It's about creating a positive flow of attention that is helpful and reliable.community
“Most people only open our app once or twice a year, and we have to fight to get them to remember us every year,” Chesky said in a phone interview. Ta. “This keeps us visible and culturally relevant.”
Airbnb hopes this project will also serve international markets. One of the listings announced Wednesday is a week-long stay on a tour bus with Fayed, a Colombian reggaeton artist popular in Latin America. The other includes an overnight stay in India hosted by Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor.
Chesky expects Iconz listings to attract several thousand guests, but that number represents a small percentage of Airbnb's 150 million users. Still, he said the category represents Airbnb's future.
“So this is not an independent business per se, but it's more than just a marketing promotion,” he said. “This is the gateway for Airbnb to become more than just a place to stay.”
