This time, Airbnb is addressing the "pain points" of homestays!
Renewal of Airbnb App Product
What does the travel version of "local life" look like?
Not only are domestic tech giants vigorously promoting local life services, but also on a global scale, Airbnb has taken the lead in launching the travel version of "local life services" to expand its market share.
On May 13th local time in Los Angeles, at the Airbnb 2025 Summer Product Launch, Brian Chesky, the co - founder and CEO of Airbnb, proudly announced to the global journalists present that Airbnb is more than just Airbnb. In fact, in the global vocabulary, Airbnb has long become a synonym for homestays. What Brian Chesky implied was that Airbnb is no longer just about accommodation.
When you open the Airbnb App, you can see that in the classification buttons at the top, besides listings, there are two additional categories: Experiences and Services.
Addition of Experiences and Services
Services address the pain point of the lack of homestay services. The first batch of services launched includes 10 categories, such as private chefs, photography, massage, SPA, personal trainers, hair styling, makeup, nail art, light meals, and in - home private banquets. In some areas, these services can be provided at the listed properties.
Many service providers are senior professionals in their respective fields, such as Michelin - starred chefs and celebrity personal trainers. The starting price of most service items is less than $50 (approximately 360 RMB).
Services
Services
Services
Services such as hair styling, cooking, and personal training on the Airbnb official website
Experiences take it a step further, focusing on travel experiences beyond accommodation.
Officially, it is described as "exploring the charm of the city in - depth with locals who know the area well. The first batch of experience projects is available in 650 cities around the world and is updated daily."
Many experiences are "Airbnb - exclusive" projects, which means they are only available on Airbnb, just like in - house products in a large supermarket, offering exclusive services. Some of the "exclusive" experiences feature top - tier global figures.
- City landmarks, museum, and cultural experiences
- Food tours, cooking classes, and dining experiences
- Outdoor activities, water sports, and wildlife experiences
- Gallery tours, art workshops, and shopping experiences
- Fitness, wellness, and beauty experiences
Experiences
Experiences
Experiences
Diverse experience projects on the Airbnb official website
Regarding experiences, Brian Chesky said, "Current tourist activities of just taking photos at popular spots cannot truly connect people with the destination. The most authentic way to explore a city is to travel with locals who know it best."
After the press conference, I talked to a journalist from Sydney. She is a second - generation Chinese - Australian with the Chinese name Yun Caihong. She told me that she has long abandoned the popular tourist - spot - hopping travel style. What she cares about is whether she can have local friends to take her to the places that locals often go to and love the most.
Airbnb's experience projects provide an excellent opportunity for first - time visitors to a city to deeply connect with locals.
Why did Airbnb launch these new services and upgraded experiences at this time?
The underlying logic is to drive the relatively infrequent homestay bookings through high - frequency local life services. Ellie Mertz, Airbnb's Chief Financial Officer, said in an interview with the media that people don't travel every day, but the usage frequency of local life services is relatively high. They hope that the new services launched this time can increase users' frequency of using Airbnb.
What is the relevance of these services and experience projects to Chinese travelers?
With the increasing popularity of outbound travel among Chinese travelers, according to Airbnb's Q4 2024 financial report, the booking volume of China's outbound business increased by 25% year - on - year.
Airbnb's research found that in the era of in - depth travel, the trend of "interest - driven" travel is becoming more and more prominent among Chinese travelers, especially in four major interests: food, art and culture, concerts, and nature.
"Experiencing local cuisine" is the primary motivation for Chinese users to travel abroad. More and more young people want to immerse themselves in the art and cultural atmosphere. For example, Vaucluse in Provence, France, has become a popular destination in summer because of the Avignon Festival. Chasing stars and attending concerts has become the strongest driving force for travelers to set off at any time. Getting close to nature and enjoying natural scenery is also one of the driving forces for Chinese travelers before traveling abroad.
Airbnb's upgraded experience projects are all centered around "interest - driven" travel.
Can the "Experiences" projects really show me the most local side of a place?
Regarding the "Airbnb Experiences" driven by interests, my question is whether these local - flavored activities, non - standardized products, can really maintain the characteristics of the hosts and go beyond the efficient but formulaic tour - guide style? In other words, can the experience projects under Airbnb's quality control really be reliable and not disappointing?
After scanning the local experience activities in Los Angeles, they can be generally classified into the following categories:
Water sports, such as learning to surf or going sailing; outdoor landmarks, such as e - bike riding or hiking; local food, such as tasting Mexican burritos with a foodie; spiritual activities, such as seaside meditation or tarot card reading; organic living, such as learning how to raise chickens in the backyard; cultural landmarks, combined with local art projects in Los Angeles... Considering my schedule and personal interests, I participated in three of these projects.
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Enjoy a Nutritious Food, Foraging, and Cooking Feast with Simon Hills
Host: Simon Hills
An Australian nutritionist, physiotherapist, and blog host. In 2021, Simon wrote the best - selling book The Proof is in the Plants, advocating a whole - plant food diet.
Meeting place: Little City Farm
Experience time: 13:00 - 16:00
Little City Farm is a farm located in a residential community in Los Angeles.
In mid - May in Los Angeles, Little City Farm was in full bloom. The owner of the farm is Jenny, and this project is actually a collaboration between her and nutritionist Simon. This farm is also Jenny's home. In a large vegetable garden, there are more than 10 kinds of edible plants, including okra, mint, broad beans, passion fruit, tomatoes, artichokes, eggplants, grapes, onions, sage, and sweet peppers.
Plants growing on the farm
Farm - exclusive cocktail special of the day
Jenny and Simon like to take everyone on a tour of the vegetable garden and then pick a leaf from a plant for the guests to taste its flavor and aroma.
There were about 8 or 9 participants in this experience, mostly global journalists or social media bloggers who came to Los Angeles for the Airbnb product launch. This enhanced the social aspect of the experience.
The process was not complicated. First, Jenny and Simon talked about their own experiences and their relationship with this small yard.
Jenny (right) and Simon's opening remarks
Jenny started digging this yard about 5 years ago. Although she was completely new to farming at first and the ground was hard cement before, over the years, the small yard has become vibrant. "Plants have taught me a lot," she said.
Simon is a plant nutritionist. The existence of this small farm provides a base for him to practice and spread his plant - based diet concept with his abundant botanical knowledge.
Of course, there was also a farm tour led by Jenny, including getting to know various plants on - site and experiencing simple farm work, such as pulling onions. Since a Chinese journalist and I came from afar, she picked a leaf from a plant and specifically told us that rubbing the leaf in our hands and smelling the plant's aroma could refresh us.
Visiting the farm with Jenny
Visiting the farm with Jenny
