In short-term lodging, experience could matter just as much or more than the spaces themselves, which is why a collaboration with a K-pop boy band such as Seventeen is beneficial, said Airbnb co-founder and chief executive Brian Chesky.
The collaboration included replicating the set of Seventeen’s music video Love, Money, Fame (2024) into real-life accommodation, allowing Carats – as Seventeen fans are dubbed – to experience a unique stay. The props from the music video were also used to furnish the Seventeen-inspired Airbnb room.
At a press conference in Seoul on June 4, the vacation rental website’s head honcho recalled working with the South Korean group in 2024, a project he said had proved to be hugely popular with not only Seventeen fans, but also Airbnb travellers as a whole, because of the unique experience it offered.
“We plan to roll out Seventeen-themed Airbnb programmes in major cities,” Chesky said at the press conference, without identifying where.
This followed a meet-and-greet event for 60 Seventeen fans where the K-pop act were one-day-only special Airbnb hosts, in celebration of their 10th anniversary.
Seventeen Airbnb Experience, as the fan gathering was called, was a demonstration of Airbnb Originals, a celebrity-hosted exclusive experience that is part of Airbnb Experiences. Airbnb Originals was launched in May to focus on unique activities run by local hosts.
The programme is to help travellers experience their local surroundings with local hosts, according to Chesky.
“The biggest asset in people’s lives is really not their home – it’s their time. What if people could share not only their space, but their time with someone else?” he asked.
The latest trip to Seoul by the Airbnb CEO is part of his global tour to promote Airbnb Experiences. He has made stops in Paris, Berlin, Milan and Tokyo, and emphasised that Seoul is a strategic market he finds deeply inspirational.
According to Airbnb South Korea, bookings on the platform in the country in 2024 soared 20% from the previous year.
The make-up of international visitors to South Korea is increasingly becoming diverse, the company added without elaboration. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
