A Better Look at Airbnb's New City Hosts Program for Next-Gen Tours and Activities

In the lead up to its annual hosting conference in November, Airbnb has expanded its new, "still under wraps," City Hosts program for offering local tours, activities, and experiences. What first debuted in June with just 36 experiences in San Francisco, London, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo has now expanded to 384 experiences in 12 cities around the world that now also include Cape Town, Detroit, Florence, Havana, Miami, Nairobi, Seoul, and Tokyo. A quick sampling of the experiences includes: a 7-hour Wynwood Tour and Party in Miami for $300 per person; a day spent with life coaches with a welcome brunch, walk and mediation, and an early morning rave for $346 per person in London; a three-hour retail tour of Tokyo's Akihabara District in search of the coolest anime collectibles and toys with an online retailer for $34 per person; and learning how to make your own ramen with a second-generation ramen maker in Tokyo. [See screenshots below for examples.] Experiences seem to range from all-day affairs to smaller excursions at a variety of prices, with most of the longer experiences in the $200 range. Each of the experiences is orchestrated by a local City Host who serves, essentially, as a guest's tour guide. For now, the City Hosts experiences are only available to those with private beta access, and to be able to book any of the experiences, an Airbnb property booking is required. For those without access to City Hosts in beta, you can sign up to be added to the waitlist here.