Airbnb is ramping up its Online Experiences product through a number of high-profile partnerships with Broadway, the Olympics and Paralympics, TikTok and the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA).
The new lineup is an extension of the company’s pivot to virtual activities in April in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Among the Online Experiences on offer are: athletes from the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee engaging with fans (Airbnb was to be a sponsor of the 2020 games); members of the Broadway community participating in productions; TikTok stars hosting culinary, arts and comedy events; and IGLTA presenting a virtual “Pride Week.”
Airbnb’s head of Experiences, Catherine Powell, says that for the artist-led Experiences, such as those under the Broadway umbrella as well as similar activities, Airbnb is partnering with the Actors Fund to not only provide entertainment for consumers but to also offer hosts who have been out of work an alternate income stream.
"We're delighted to be able to continue to get these economic opportunities for these professions and bring them onboard," she says.
Additionally, some proceeds from Broadway Experiences will go to charities as part of Airbnb’s Social Impact program.
Powell adds that for events such as Pride Week, the virtual environment allows guests to experience celebrations from all over the world, not just in their respective cities.
Since launching Online Experiences, Airbnb says hosts have earned more than $1 million. It claims it’s the company’s fasted-growing product with more than 400 activities.
“Online Experiences were born in a crisis,” Powell says. “We launched them when we had to suspend our in-person Experiences, but what we are seeing in the way that our guests and hosts engage is that we definitely believe they will continue after [COVID-19].”
She says that when stay-at-home orders lift, people will still have a desire to connect but won’t be keen on traveling internationally. Powell adds that for hosts, the online-offline combo gives them an opportunity to smooth demand during the off-season.
Meanwhile, in-person Experiences are returning in more than a dozen countries across Europe and Asia, including Austria, France, Greece, Italy, China and Vietnam.
For in-person activities, hosts and guests must abide by Airbnb’s new safety and cleaning standards, which include gusts and hosts wearing masks, limited group sizes and training and cleaning protocols for hosts.
Previously, in response to COVID-19’s impact on business, co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said the company was pausing work in its transportation department as well as scaling back its Hotels and Lux categories, signaling perhaps its focus was shifting back to its core Homes unit.
However, Powell says the brand’s number-one priority for the summer is local travel, which includes Homes as well as Experiences.