When Airbnb takes action, the hospitality industry takes notice. In 2018, the disruptor made waves with Airbnb Plus, higher-end offerings that directly compete with hotels. Luxury hotel brands were stepping into the home-share arena to compete with Airbnb, and are now making strides in one of Airbnb’s most successful arenas: experiences.
When Airbnb launched its Experiences program in 2016, it was a gamble, but one that seems to be paying off as it has resulted in seven times more bookings year-over-year since 2018. Gartner has observed luxury hotels responding to shifting customer expectations by implementing their own curated experiences and destination guides on site, according to a Gartner L2 report on the topic.
Between 2018 and 2019, Gartner observed a 43% increase in the number of hotels making destination guides accessible from the homepage and a 31% increase in brands doing the same for curated experiences. These large changes signify a shift in how luxury hotels view the importance of destination guides and experiences to their guests’ overall stay. No longer is it enough to leave a mint on the pillow—hotels must keep guests engaged and entertained in and out of room to keep them coming back.
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