Airbnb Experiences

Note: In April 2023, Airbnb paused onboarding new Airbnb Experiences.

What is an Airbnb Experience?

Airbnb has been offering Airbnb Experiences for a few years now. The idea is to give visitors and travelers an unusual discovery at their vacation spot. As a host, you can share your passion or knowledge about a topic with visitors and create a new source of income.

Airbnb Experiences vary from craft classes and bike tours to host-led activities like yoga or virtual and online activities.

How do Airbnb Experiences work?

Airbnb Experiences operate similarly to booking accommodations on the platform. Users can explore a wide variety of activities hosted by locals and can book directly through the site. To simplify the search process, Airbnb offers custom filters that allow users to narrow down their options based on activity type, location, date, number of participants, and preferred language.

After booking, participants join the host for a curated, small-group activity that showcases local culture, special skills, or unique perspectives, creating a memorable and personalized travel experience.

Who can offer an Airbnb Experience?

The events, which focus on sharing experiences, are led by Airbnb hosts or even locals who don’t rent through Airbnb. Airbnb Experiences allow you to bring local experts to the forefront while growing your rental business. You share your interests and passion for a topic with an interested audience.

 

 

Benefits of hosting an Airbnb experience

Is it worth the effort? Will I make extra money doing this? Can I gain an advantage in a competitive market by offering a local walking out or wine tasting? Thankfully, there are countless benefits, and the answer to each of these questions is a resounding yes!

Increased income

With Airbnb Experiences, you can also increase your income. The activities can be a lucrative additional income source in conjunction with renting out your vacation home and offer you good cross-selling opportunities.

You can also share your discoveries with Airbnb guests not staying at your accommodation and vice versa. The two activities complement each other perfectly but can be done independently.

Tip: As a Smoobu user, you can use your digital guest guide to inform guests about your additional services.

Connecting with guests

Hosting an Airbnb activity allows hosts to bring a personal touch to their interactions, highlighting their special skills and creating meaningful connections with guests. Hosts can make their offering truly memorable by tailoring it to a specific type of traveler, such as food enthusiasts or an adventure-filled day out.

A well-thought-out plan ensures everything runs smoothly, leaving guests with positive memories and hosts with the satisfaction of forging genuine connections.

Types of Airbnb experiences

You have the option to offer discoveries depending on your interests and expertise. You can freely design your event from A to Z and share your passion with visitors. Consider the following types of popular searches:

• Culture and history (personal city tours, cooking class, outdoor adventures, visiting a museum together or photography tours, etc.)
• Culinary and gastronomic discoveries (restaurant visits, discovering local specialties, cooking workshops, etc.)
• Local adventures: Share your knowledge of your city or region.

How to host an Airbnb Experience

To become an Airbnb Experience host, individuals must demonstrate a deep understanding or skill in their chosen subject. They should provide advanced techniques or specialized insights that enhance their offerings.

Each Airbnb should offer something unique or exclusive to differentiate itself from standard offerings, such as access to private venues, insider knowledge, or a distinctive cultural perspective. Airbnb requires hosts to comply with its quality standards and local regulations to ensure the safety and satisfaction of all participants.

Successful hosts should be prepared to share their expertise, foster connections, and create memorable interactions with guests throughout.

The Airbnb Experience program emphasizes the importance of local leadership in activities, which boosts the authenticity and overall value of the experiences provided.

Understanding hosting guidelines

As a host, you can personally guide your guests through every aspect of your Airbnb Experience! It’s essential to ensure they feel welcomed and cared for, so remember, no minimum group size is required—every traveler is valued!

Your commitment to their safety and happiness is key, so be sure to follow health and safety guidelines during in-person experiences. Travelers appreciate consistency, so maintaining a high overall rating is essential; it helps create memorable, positive memories for everyone involved.

Honoring all booked reservations is crucial, except in Major Disruptive Events, safety concerns, or severe weather.

Insurance

When hosting an Airbnb Experience, hosts automatically receive liability insurance from Airbnb, which provides coverage of up to $1 million for bodily injury to guests or damage to their property.

This liability insurance protects hosts who are legally found responsible for any incidents involving guests during their experiences. This is especially true for outdoor activities. The policy also extends coverage to business partners who assist in hosting the experience, ensuring that the entire hosting team is protected.

Guests do not need to opt in or pay associated fees to access this liability insurance while hosting experiences on Airbnb. The insurance protects hosts from potential financial liabilities from injuries or property damage.

Consider looking up other insurance policies that will cover you and your guests in case of an accident or emergency.

How can I create an Airbnb Experience?

First, you should know that a small team at Airbnb evaluates every idea for an activity. If your proposal meets the quality criteria, you can create your own.

Step 1: Create your activity on Airbnb

Go to the Airbnb Experiences page.

Step 2: Specify the type of activity

Airbnb will then ask whether this will take place in-person or online, where you’re offering your expertise (i.e., in which city), and in which language it’s available.

Then, select a category that fits your expertise: Animals, Art and Design, Nature and Outdoor activities, Entertainment, etc. Once you choose the theme, more detailed suggestions will be provided to describe the experience.

Step 3: Airbnb’s requirements

Before starting your activity, you must meet the following Airbnb criteria:

• Expertise: You have exceptional knowledge or unique skills and years of experience.
• Insider Knowledge: You offer your guests something they wouldn’t have access to.
• Interpersonal Connection: You can inspire others and build rapport with your guests.

After that, you’ll be asked to answer three questions about the above. The idea is to offer a genuinely new and unique experience only possible with your knowledge and personality.

Step 4: Create a catchy description of your activity

Description

In this step, you reveal more details and how it may appeal to potential bookers:

• Describe precisely how your activity will take place
• Indicate the duration
• Inform about the meeting point and the city locations (monuments, markets, bar, walking tour, etc.)

About you

Next, you must tell more about yourself in the “About You” section to introduce yourself to prospective guests. Tell them more about your business as a landlord and host. Don’t forget to add a photo to your profile if you haven’t uploaded one yet.

Location

Be specific on where your guests will likely be unfamiliar with the area and need clear instructions to avoid confusion. Consider sending a precise location with a map app and nearby landmarks.

What is provided

Indicate what you provide in your experiment or if you have hired an outside company. If you are providing a creative activity, you should provide the materials: paints, brushes, canvases, etc.

What guests should bring?

Please specify the proper attire and equipment guests must bring, such as a rain jacket, sneakers, and comfortable hiking shoes.

Conditions for the participants

Here, you should specify the minimum age to participate, whether parents can bring small children, how challenging the activity may be, whether there are any prerequisites, etc.

Title and photos

Now, think of a meaningful title that best describes your activity and makes you want to participate. You should use a good-quality camera to introduce it with some high-quality pictures for photos. Using high-quality images or even a video will help you stand out.

Step 5: Set the settings

Maximum group size

A maximum of 10 people can form a public group (strangers or people coming together). For private groups, the maximum is 30 people. Setting the maximum number of people who can participate in your Airbnb Experience is essential in this step. So, think about what number of participants is optimal for your activity.

General availability

Specify what time you would like to offer your Airbnb Experience. Then, you can freely set your time based on the days you offer it.

Price per person

An important specification is the price per person. Set your price per participant, considering that Airbnb charges a 20% service fee. In this step, you must also set the price for private groups.

Discounts

Here you can offer discounts for bookings.

Booking settings

You can set the time for guests to book your activity. Airbnb suggests setting the booking limit as close as possible to start time to get as many bookings as possible. It also allows for spontaneous bookings.

Cancellation policy

Set your terms for cancellations and a full refund here.

Security

Read Airbnb’s rules about safety and the additional Terms of Use for Experience Hosts. Then click Accept if you agree.

Step 6: Set a competitive price

Airbnb charges a standard service fee of 20% for all Experiences offered on its platform. This fee covers the costs of products, services, support, and liability insurance.

The 20% commission is deducted from the hosts’ price, which is already included in the total price displayed to guests on the Airbnb website. Hosts receive payouts within 24 hours, with the service fees automatically withheld from their total earnings.

Hosting an Airbnb Experience allows for flexibility in pricing strategies and group sizes, making it easier for hosts to adjust to seasonal demand. Airbnb’s 20% commission fee is competitive and can be more favorable than rates on other platforms, providing hosts with a potentially profitable addition to their business.

Offering value to guests

Airbnb Experiences allows hosts to create memorable activities that greatly enhance guests’ travel experiences. Guests who enjoy a complete travel experience with accommodation and activities will likely leave positive reviews.

This, in turn, improves the host’s visibility in Airbnb search results. By offering exclusive discounts or packages, hosts can encourage them to participate in both the stay and the activities, adding more value to their visit.

Ultimately, you can provide guests with deep insights and immersion into the hosts’ passions and interests, offering a unique perspective on the destination. Online experiences allow guests to learn new skills and connect with others in a safe environment, especially when in-person options are limited.

Step 7: Submit a proposal

That’s it; you can now reread your proposal and submit it!

Does Airbnb still offer experiences?

Airbnb still offers experiences, but they temporarily paused new experience submissions from June 2022 to May 2023. This break allowed the platform to refine its offerings and focus on providing high-quality activities for travelers.

During this time, Airbnb enhanced the overall experience for both hosts and guests, prioritizing safety, creativity, and value. As of May 2023, they have resumed accepting new experiences, offering unique and memorable activities for travelers worldwide.

Airbnb Experiences connect travelers with local hosts who offer unique activities in their area. Travelers can browse a curated selection of memorable offerings based on interests, location, or travel dates. After booking, participants receive details on what to bring, where to meet, and what to expect.

Hosts are knowledgeable enthusiasts or experts who provide personalized sessions for small groups. Whether you’re learning to make pasta in Italy or participating in a sunrise yoga session in Bali, Airbnb Experiences offers intimate and unique encounters designed for adventurous and curious travelers—a source of income.

Conclusion: 5 reasons to offer Airbnb Experiences

• Share a unique moment with your guests, offer unforgettable memories, and strengthen interpersonal relationships.
• Introduce your visitors to an activity you like or inspire with a cause close to your heart.
• Create an additional source of revenue.
• Leverage the international reach of the booking platform to reach a new audience.
• Promote your vacation rental and get even more bookings.

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