Airbnb's Journey Into Immersive Experiences
Airbnb's new 'Icons' initiative is redefining travel with an innovative approach to unforgettable experiences.
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This summer, Airbnb unveiled Icons, an exciting new initiative that expands its offerings to include one-of-a-kind experiences. The company has explored this area before; for example, in 2014, they partnered with IKEA to let customers spend the night in one of their stores. One of their last activations before the pandemic was The Last Blockbuster Experience, which allowed guests to immerse themselves in 90s nostalgia by spending the night in the final Blockbuster store in the U.S.
Their successful Barbie Dream House activation in 2023 marked a significant next chapter in their evolution toward immersive stays. Building on this momentum, the launch of Icons represents their biggest move yet, an experiences program designed to engage travelers in new and exciting ways.
A Glimpse Into Icons
Icons currently features 11 unique experiences that primarily leverage a blend of celebrity access and film IP. These experiences are integrated into the homepage of the app/website, positioned alongside the traditional stays you would typically find on Airbnb. Here are a few of my personal favorites:
The floating house from Up, which includes details from the movie like Carl's glasses and the iconic balloons.
Stay in Prince’s Purple Rain house, intended to pay tribute to both the movie itself and the moment in time that launched Prince into the stratosphere.
A hand-painted recreation of the X-Men mansion, designed to mimic the vibrant, comic book aesthetic.
To participate, users are required to complete a brief questionnaire about themselves and their connection to their chosen Icon. Airbnb will then invite winners to book their experiences based on their responses.
Most offerings within the Icons collection are free for lottery winners, while some experiences may come with a nominal fee of up to $100 per guest.
Why The Investment? Why Now?
This launch comes at a highly competitive moment for the travel industry. Travel demand is at an all-time high, and brands are upping their game to attract and retain customers. Hyatt is expanding its extended-stay offerings, and VRBO has recently launched campaigns like Nick Saban’s ‘Host-Free Stays,’ taking direct aim at Airbnb.
So why would Airbnb invest in an experience program like Icons? These stays are extravagant, likely costing millions to create, and most guests stay for free. The immediate ROI might not be obvious, but this move isn’t about quick profit—it’s about long-term brand building, maintaining cultural relevance, and driving word-of-mouth.
A quick search on TikTok reinforces this, with earned and influencer content related to these Icon experiences regularly surpassing 1 million views. Airbnb is leveraging these experiences to engage people on social in ways that feel unintrusive and entertaining.
In an industry where billions are spent on performance marketing—especially Google search ads—Airbnb is taking a different approach. While they will never fully abandon paying for those blue links in your search results, they’re betting that reallocating some of that budget to crafting these unique experiences will deliver outsized ROI over time, and data suggests this strategy is already showing positive results.
According to Google Trends, ‘barbie airbnb’ and ‘blockbuster airbnb’ were among the fastest-growing Airbnb search terms in the past five years. In addition to social conversation (above), SimilarWeb also shows that Airbnb ranks highest among its competitors in direct traffic, proving that people are actively seeking out the brand on their own.
Looking Beyond Stays
Airbnb doesn’t want to be known just for stays—there’s too much competition in that commoditized space. They’re aiming for something bigger: to be a brand recognized for delivering one-of-a-kind experiences. With Icons, Airbnb is expanding beyond its core business, likely turning it into an evergreen program that offers fresh experiences year-round.
The beauty of this initiative is its flexibility—it can adapt to cultural trends and moments as they arise. For example, if there’s another big cultural moment like Barbie, Airbnb can partner with the IP to create a unique experience. If artists like Sabrina Carpenter or Charli XCX are having a major moment like they did this summer, they could host intimate listening sessions or album release parties.
Moreover, Airbnb could tap into various seasons and holidays to create limited-time experiences that resonate with different audiences. Imagine an immersive Halloween haunted house experience or a romantic Valentine’s Day getaway inspired by iconic love stories. For the Christmas season, they could create a North Pole-esque Santa’s Workshop holiday paradise. The possibilities for creative exploration are endless.
However, as Airbnb ventures further into developing Icons, maintaining the novelty of these experiences will be crucial. This will require a significant investment in social listening, innovative partnerships, and sufficient resources to uphold production quality and avoid any sense of stagnation. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how they continue to refine and expand Icons over the next year.
Until next time, keep thinking outside the banner ad.