Airbnb Restarts Experiences Sign-Ups After a Lengthy Pause

After pausing the acceptance of host signups for new experiences for around a year-and-a half, Airbnb has deleted subpar experience listings, and re-opened the application process.

“We’re delighted to be once again reopening submissions for new experiences,” a spokesperson told Skift Wednesday. “Our aim is to provide guests with a diverse, unique selection of experiences that authentically reflect the culture and community of cities around the world. As Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky mentioned in our latest earnings call, we’re excited about the future of Experiences and look forward to sharing more soon.”

Airbnb confirmed the experiences reboot after a LinkedIn user saw a prompt to host an experience.

A Fave Project

Experiences has been a CEO Brian Chesky passion project for years. The company halted them during the pandemic, restarted them later, and then paused accepting new host applications for experiences around April 2023. The company admitted that they just hadn’t nailed the product.

“They need to be more affordable,” Chesky said during an earnings call in August. “They need to be more unique to Airbnb. We need things you can only find in Airbnb. They should be merchandised videos, not photos. They discoverable on the app, and we should market them. If we think we do these five things, we think we’ll have a hit on our hands, and we’re working on that.”

In June, Airbnb deleted some 5,000 experiences that didn’t meet its standards.

Experiences Requirements

To date, at least, Airbnb hasn’t changed requirements to list an experience.

“Airbnb Experiences are designed to be highly unique and interactive, according to the Airbnb Help Center. “So, services are generally ineligible as they don’t provide expertise, insider access, and connection.”

In that regard, Airbnb seems to be sticking to its plan of not going particularly mainstream with its tours, activities and attractions. So in Rome, you’ll find a Handmade pasta with grandma experience rather than the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with Basilica tour that you can book on GetYourGuide.

A Key Company Objective

Airbnb views experiences as a key component of its value proposition, although they have been a revenue non-factor. The company believes that local hosts can be especially adept at using their hometown knowledge to provide compelling experiences, which make the stay more personal and memorable for guests.

It is well-documented that travelers are making it a high priority to participate in special activities during there trips, although many travel companies have not been able to make a lucrative business out of the sector. Most of the tours and experiences sector — including everything from dive shops to parasailing and tennis lessons — are still offline, but countless tours and activities companies are trying to change that dynamic.