How Airbnb Luxe is catering to the mega-wealthy with a new tier of luxury stays
- Online property rental firm launches 2,000 new listings of world’s most stunning homes on luxury platform for mega-wealthy travellers able to pay US1 million a week
Gone are the days of air mattresses on the floor. Airbnb is now catering to the mega-wealthy with a new tier of luxury rental properties.
Airbnb Luxe went live on Tuesday morning after long being teased, with 2,000 new listings on Airbnb’s website offering guests the chance to stay in some of the world’s most extravagant homes.
The average Airbnb Luxe listing has a price of US$14,000 a week – but can go as high as US$1 million a week for a private island in French Polynesia, which comprises 16 properties
Everything from entire islands to medieval castles and mansions decked out with water slides, dinosaur skulls, and archery ranges are up for rent.
The average luxury listing has an asking price of US$14,000 a week – but can go as high as US$1 million a week for a private island in French Polynesia, which comprises 16 properties.
Luxury travellers have been eyeing high-quality home-rentals for a while, Nick Guezen, Airbnb’s global director of portfolio strategy, says.
However, the market has not offered enough security to high-profile and mega-rich clients who seek privacy, he says.
“I think that’s something that was missing – the idea of ‘I want to travel to a luxury home, but I’m not sure where to find it or who to trust’.”
However, this is not entirely the case, considering that the Accor-owned Onefinestay, the second-home rental platform ThirdHome, and flat-rental company Paris Perfect are all established competitors in the space.
Also, Airbnb Luxe is essentially a rebranding of Luxury Retreats, a Canadian company specialising in high-quality listings, which was acquired by Airbnb in 2017 for about US$300 million.
Airbnb is a way for a luxury traveller to book a home without any worries or hassle. We can give them something that is vetted and can be trusted