As an Airbnb host, you’re always searching for different ways to give your guests the best experience in their travels. Guests always want to see what the area has to offer, but doesn’t it get a bit tiresome and cliche seeing your guests always visiting the same places and doing the same touristy things?
You’re already an expert in living like a local. You have your own passions, go-to spots, and routines, something that a guest would love to get a glimpse into. So, what if we told you that there’s a way for you to share your interests with your guests while making a bit of extra cash on the side?
With Airbnb Experiences, you can do just that.
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What are Airbnb Experiences?
Airbnb Experiences are in-person or online activities that locals in the area design and lead. These activities go beyond the normal tours or classes: They allow hosts to show off their cities, hobbies, causes, skills, interests, cultures, and more.
These experiences immerse guests into the host’s world, taking living like a local to the next level. They can include all sorts of activities, ranging from cooking classes and dining experiences to sunset paddle boarding and guided city tours.
Benefits of hosting an Airbnb Experience
Airbnb Experiences give you a platform to connect with other people from around the world who want to get a taste of your area and special interests. The benefits go beyond the added income.
These experiences are not limited to one type of traveler. Some will use the opportunity to meet other people, while others will use it as a way to get immersed in the local culture or discover attractions off the beaten path. They can also be done as a group or on your own. All sorts of people will flock to enjoy your offer, whether they’re staying at an Airbnb or not.
Similar to being an overnight host, with Airbnb Experiences, you have the flexibility to choose when and how often you wish to host. There’s no need to change your existing schedule in order to participate. This can just be a passion project or an addition to your daily life when you have the time for it.
You don’t even have to welcome overnight guests to your home in order to be an Experiences host. All you need is a passion to show off to the world and charisma to give guests an unforgettable time. This is truly a great opportunity that is open to anyone.
Are Airbnb Experiences still a thing?
Yes! The Airbnb Experiences program is currently active and open to applications.
However, if you’ve heard otherwise, that’s likely because Airbnb Experiences were paused for about a year and a half so the company could focus on its core services. Airbnb reopened the program in September of 2024.
When discussing the program’s relaunch, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky specified that future Airbnb Experiences would need to be more affordable and unique to be successful, so keep this in mind when submitting your application.
When will Airbnb Experiences be available (2024)?
Airbnb Experiences have been resumed, and the program is once again open to new Experience applications! Airbnb unpaused the program in September of 2024, following a year-and-a-half period in which it wasn’t accepting applications for new Experiences.
Airbnb Experience host requirements
Of course, not just anyone can host an Airbnb Experience. For starters, Experiences must fulfill Airbnb’s three pillars of a quality experience:
- Hosts must be an expert in the topic.
- The activity must be interactive and give guests insider access to a community or culture.
- The experience must cultivate human connection.
On top of that, Experiences can’t be classified as accommodations or services.
While there are some additional activity-specific restrictions and requirements (for activities that involve sexual content or weapons, for example), the requirements above cover most bases. As long as you meet this criteria, you’re likely to be approved and can begin hosting guests and earning money doing something you love!
How to create an Airbnb Experience
To start hosting an Airbnb Experience, you’ll first need to create an experience listing for submission to Airbnb. Some things to include in your listing are:
- A title and description
- The location
- Details about what you’ll provide and what guests should bring
- 7 photos of your experience
- The minimum age
- The level of guest activity and skill
- The maximum group size
- The start time and length
- The price per guest
Submit your listing along with a “what we’ll do” section explaining the activity to your guests, an “about you” section where you explain your experience and qualifications, and a “settings” section to make sure your Experience details are accurate.
For an online experience, you must also include a short video demonstration and a “what guests should bring” section along with your listing.
Once you’ve submitted all of this and have verified your identity, you should hear back within a week with your results. If you are approved, you can add availability to your calendar and start accepting bookings. If you are declined, you can feel free to edit and resubmit your Experience proposal.
What’s the commission fee on Airbnb Experiences?
Airbnb charges a 20% service fee for all Experiences offered on the platform. However, this amount can vary if agreed upon by both the host and Airbnb. This service fee goes to cover the costs of the products, services, support, and liability insurance that they provide.
The amount to be paid is based on the price that hosts set for the experience. The service fee will already be calculated into the price shown for the Experience on the Airbnb website.
Airbnb will automatically withhold service fees from host payouts after a reservation has been made. Hosts can expect to receive their earnings, minus the service fee, from completed Experiences 24 hours after they take place. You can always expect to keep everything you receive in your payout because all the fees have already been taken into account.
Most popular Airbnb Experiences
With more than 40,000 listings in 1,000 cities, there are plenty of Airbnb Experiences available. To stand out from the crowd, you may be wondering which Experiences are the most popular.
To give you an idea, the categories offered for Experiences include:
- Arts
- Concerts
- Classes
- Nature
- Sports
- Food & drink
- History
- Entertainment
- Music
- Health
- Social impact
- Nightlife
Let’s take a look at some of the best Airbnb Experiences the platform has to offer.
Wine tasting experiences
A classic Airbnb Experience is wine tasting. Maybe you own a family vineyard that you want to open to the public, or maybe you’re just a wine enthusiast. It’s a popular excursion because it’s a great time with friends or for meeting new people with a splash of sophistication added to it.
At the Family Vineyard Experience in Frascati, Italy, guests are welcomed to the vineyard for a historical walking tour of the vineyard along with a visit to the wine cellar to learn about winemaking, and a final tasting paired with cheese and salami.
With Belleville Unbottled! In Paris, guests can sign up to go on a journey with an insider to the best wine bars in the city, exploring Paris while stimulating their tastebuds.
Airbnb cooking experiences
Love to cook? Hosting an Airbnb cooking experience may be a good idea for you. There’s no better way to learn about the local cuisine and culture than through a cooking class. Maybe you know how to make some delectable food from your area, or maybe you know how to make special cultural dishes.
This can be a great opportunity for chefs and cooking enthusiasts alike to give people a fun and delicious experience.
Check out this Secret Garden Paella class in Barcelona or this Authentic Thai Cooking Class in Khet Khlong Toei, Thailand.
Airbnb nature experiences
Exploring natural beauties can always be improved with a local guide. If the great outdoors is your thing, you can volunteer your skills and knowledge to lead guests down hidden hiking trials, invite people to a farm experience, or let people try a new outdoor activity.
Camping on a Cliff in Colorado is a great example of a unique time that an outdoors lover is able to offer to guests.
Yoga with Goats in New York is a twist on a classic health activity. Guests go to a farm to get some outdoors time in while doing yoga with the farm animals!
Virtual Airbnb Experiences
Airbnb Experiences don’t have to be in person. There’s also an option to do online Experiences right from your home. Online Experiences open up your business to people around the world, and the possibilities for online Experiences are endless.
Of course, there are the classic online cooking classes, exercise and dance classes, and music concerts that we are very familiar with from the pandemic. However, many hosts have taken the time to get creative with what they offer over the internet.
When you host an online Experience, be sure to list the materials necessary for your guests to prepare in order to correctly do the activity.
Some of the more unique online Airbnb Experiences we’ve seen have included following a plague doctor through Prague, meditation with a Japanese Buddhist monk, and a coffee masterclass.
Airbnb Experiences for teams
Team-building activities are becoming increasingly popular among the workforce, especially to cultivate a positive company culture in remote teams. These Experiences should make sure to emphasize teamwork and community-building.
So, what kind of Airbnb Experiences are ideal for teams?
If you’re into mysteries or theater, an escape room (virtual or in-person) is a great option. Cooking and cocktail classes are also popular options. So, if you’re already running one of these classes, marketing yourself to teams is a good idea.
You could also tap into the mental stimulation aspect of team-building with lessons, trivia, and competitions.
How to make money with Airbnb Experiences
Airbnb Experiences pose an amazing opportunity to boost your income from Airbnb. You can add an experience on top of your overnight stays, or you can join the platform without offering a place to sleep.
Many Airbnb hosts have already joined Airbnb Experiences as a way to boost their profits. Some Experiences, such as guided walking tours, history lessons, or local food or bar crawls, go hand-in-hand with running a vacation rental business. If you have a niche interest or passion, then your Experiences portfolio only grows, and you can already offer more to guests.
Overnight guests would love to see that their host can show them around the city they’re visiting, and it makes it easier for them to get to know the local area. It also adds to the hospitality aspect of both the Experience and the stay, leading to higher reviews.
If you have something you love and you think that others will love it too, then joining Airbnb Experiences will help connect you to the right audience. All you have to do is create an interesting listing and start getting reservations to watch your profits increase.
FAQs about Airbnb Experiences
Here are some common questions aspiring hosts ask about Airbnb Experiences.
Is it mandatory to be an Airbnb host to host an Experience?
No, it is not mandatory to be an Airbnb host to host an Experience. Even though many Airbnb hosts also use Experiences to upgrade their stays, it is not a requirement. Airbnb Experiences is separate from the Airbnb business model dedicated to short-term rentals. You can choose to be on one of the platforms or both of the platforms at the same time. If you choose to be on both, you must create separate listings for each.
Do I need to own a property to host an Airbnb Experience?
No, you do not need to own a property to host an Airbnb Experience. Airbnb Experiences is an event and activity platform, not a housing platform. If for some reason you are hosting an experience that requires you to own a property to perform the activity, that would be the only case where you would have to own a property.
How much should I charge for an Airbnb Experience?
The pricing of your Airbnb Experience will depend on a couple of factors. When first starting out, you should check how much other people are charging for similar activities. This will give you an approximate range of what you should be charging.
It will also depend on what type of activity you are offering because the cost to run it and people’s willingness to pay will vary. You have to think about the travel involved, required materials or ingredients, cleaning requirements, and more. All of these factors can either increase or decrease the cost.
Be sure to take into consideration how long you have been running the Experience and how many reviews you have. If you are a seasoned professional leading the experience, then people might be willing to pay more than if you are an amateur, at least until you gain some trust on the platform.
If you are just starting out, you will probably have to price your Experience a bit lower and gradually increase it as you get more reviews and accounts backing your Experience. Pricing is all relative, so play around with it a bit until you find a sweet spot!
Should I host an Airbnb Experience?
If you have a passion, interest, insight, or interesting take to share with the world and want to earn some extra cash, hosting an Airbnb Experience is a no-brainer. It’s a great platform to connect travelers with an endless number of offerings. You can make money doing what you love.
Everyone has something to share, whether it’s culinary skills, kayaking knowledge, a passion for a local sports team, an interest in sustainability or even just knowledge of the local bar scene. There’s someone out there who is waiting to find your Experience.
Don’t see the form to download the Business Plan Template? Click here.
Disclaimer: Lodgify is an Airbnb Preferred+ Software Partner. This post, including any claims or statements within, is solely from Lodgify and is not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, authorized, or sponsored by Airbnb in any way.
