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Airbnb just made opting for a homestay on your next trip a lot more appealing. With the launch of its new Services offering, the brand has made it much easier for guests to combine the privacy of an Airbnb stay with the amenities of a hotel – without even needing to don your slippers to head to the on-site spa.
While we’ve long been fans of the brand’s ‘live like a local’ ethos, checking in inevitably meant taking a more DIY approach to your travels than when booking a hotel room. You get the unadulterated privacy of your own space, absolutely – but traded off against the fact you’re cooking your own breakfast and forgoing your morning gym session.
Until now, that is. From today, 10 bookable service categories are live in 260 cities across the world, to be enjoyed from the comfort of your Airbnb. Offerings range from the aesthetic (hair, nails, spa treatments, massage), to fitness (yoga, strength training, HIIT and personal training with celebrity trainers) to culinary (chef-prepared dinners and catering services), with prices starting from around £38.
It means that those planning a hen weekend in an Airbnb can hire a hairdresser, nail technician and makeup artist to ready the group for a big evening out. In the morning, the whole gang can take a private pilates session on the terrace, before a local chef pops by to prepare a celebratory dinner in the kitchen. No spa? No problem. A masseuse and facialist will head to you instead.
Each host has been vetted through an evaluation of expertise and reputation, has an average of 10 years’ experience, completed an identity verification process, and submitted relevant licenses and certifications. Many come lauded, with a gamut of options including chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants, award-winning photographers, and celebrity fitness trainers.
So, on your next trip to Paris, you can book a street style photographer who’s worked with Adidas and Vogue for a quick shoot, banishing average touristy snaps from your Instagram for good. In Austin, Egyptian chef Kareem el Ghayesh, featured on Netflix’s Barbecue Showdown, will head over and make breakfast for you – both a novelty and the chance to avoid cooking in one. You can even hire the former personal trainer to the White House for a gym session.
Services will vary by location and are bookable via the brand’s app and website. You don’t need to be staying in an Airbnb to book, so if there’s something you’d like to try in your city, they’ll come to your home instead. In the UK, there are currently 1,000 services available, with 225 in London.
Newly-revamped Experiences
Airbnb has also put some work into refreshing its Experiences section, which has existed on the site since 2016. The brand spoke to a range of locals in over 100 cities in 30 countries, using the insights to find what makes up each city’s identity – and to find the most interesting people most visitors might not otherwise meet. The result is a more sophisticated set of offerings than before, designed to connect travellers with in-the-know locals in 650 cities across the world.
In Tokyo, you can now take a ramen class with chef Saburo Ishigōka, head chef at Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant Setagaya Chukasoba Soshigaya Nanachome Shokudo. In Los Angeles, you can book a personal styling session with Jamie Mizrahi, consultant to stars including Jennifer Lawrence and Adele – or take a cake decorating class at celebrity-favourite bakery Sweet Lady Jane (I tried it, and while I won’t give up my day job any time soon, it was undeniably a novel way to spend an LA afternoon!).
Closer to home, there are 600 Experiences available in the UK, including the chance to learn the art of etiquette with the Royal Family’s former butler in London.
In a move reminiscent of last year’s Airbnb Icons launch – remember the chance to stay in the floating house from Pixar’s Up? – the brand also announced its Airbnb Originals series. This gives guests the chance to book in for one-off and rarely available experiences exclusive to the platform. That might look like taking a pastry class at bakery The French Bastards – one of our favourite places to buy croissants in Paris – with chef Raphaelle Elbaz or playing beach volleyball with Olympian Carol Solberg on Rio’s Leblon Beach. They’ve even pinned down Sabrina Carpenter to give a few lucky fans a behind-the-scenes look of her Short’n’Sweet tour set.
Booking an Airbnb used to be a rather hit-and-miss experience. The launch of the Guest Favourite feature worked well to help travellers find the best homes on the platform. These two new launches hope to help them make the most of their time spent there, too.
You can book Airbnb Services and Experiences via the brand’s app and website.