Airbnb travel just got a whole lot more luxurious. A business which started with Airbnb founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia setting up air mattresses in their San Francisco apartment has turned into a full-fledged lodging business with its own magazine.
Now, the travel company is expanding yet again to give guests the opportunity to stay in luxurious award-winning homes and castles.
The new venture? Airbnb Luxe, set up after Airbnb purchased Luxury Retreats in 2017 and which features over 2000 places to stay.
Options include historic villas in Tuscany, castles in France, award-winning homes in New Zealand and South Africa, The Fleming Villa in Jamaica (Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond novels here), and even a private atoll in French Polynesia called Nukutepipi.
When you book through Airbnb Luxe, you will also be assigned a trip designer to make sure check-in is a breeze, all of your needs are catered to and local activities are pre-planned. If you wish, a private chef or personal trainer can also be arranged for the duration of your stay.
“Today’s luxury traveler is craving more than just high-end accommodations; they seek transformation and experiences that leave them feeling more connected to each other and to their destination,” Chesky said in a press release. “With Airbnb Luxe we are applying the same approach we’ve used since we launched Airbnb more than 11 years ago — creating local, authentic and magical travel moments now in amazing places to stay — to reimagine the way people think and experience luxury travel.”
Airbnb Luxe won’t just leave you on an isolated island in French Polynesia (unless that’s what you want, of course). Guests can also stay in luxury homes in urban areas. With a French Country estate in Los Angeles and a Sloane Square penthouse in London, you can experience those cities and 12 more to come over the next year, including Milan, Austin and Paris.
The luxury travel market is worth over $200 billion according to analysts, so we suspect this new Airbnb option will be embraced. It already has us dreaming about a private island retreat in Nukutepipi.
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