Airbnb Launches Innovative Services, Enhanced Experiences, and a Redesigned App in Los Angeles, Featuring a Special Collaboration With Rocky's Matcha
, originally launched in 2016, has undergone a significant transformation. The platform now organizes experiences into specialized collections including Culinary Experiences, Photography, Health and Beauty. The expanded premium service offerings include:
Personal Chef Services: Fully customizable in-home meals prepared by professional chefs
Professional Photography: Personalized photo sessions with experienced photographers
Wellness Services: Certified massage therapists offering Swedish, deep tissue, and reflexology treatments
Spa Treatments: Licensed estheticians providing facials, microdermabrasion, and body scrubs
Fitness Coaching: Personal training sessions including yoga, strength training, and HIIT with renowned fitness professionals
Beauty Services: Professional haircuts, makeup application, and nail care from industry experts
Culinary Options: Ready-to-eat meals and/or full-service catering with custom menus and setup
What makes this evolution particularly notable is its accessibility—Los Angeles residents can utilize these services through the app even without booking an Airbnb stay. A new verification system ensures consistent quality, while an enhanced revenue model provides experience hosts with improved earning potential and support resources.Today, Los Angeles Magazine received an exclusive preview with Chesky and Rocky Xu, founder of Rocky's Matcha. I joined Chesky on a Matcha-making experience in LA with Rocky, where we learned to craft the perfect matcha drink directly from Rocky, followed by a meditation session—The value of this experience goes for $125, which includes a take-home "Matcha Making Kit.""Experiences are the natural extension of our accommodation marketplace," noted Chesky. "They transform a place to stay into a complete travel journey that creates lasting memories. 'Technology should enhance human experiences, not replace them," Chesky recently stated. "Everything we build aims to facilitate meaningful interactions between hosts, guests, and communities.".So download the app today and enjoy your staycation!
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Los Angeles Times
31 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
This Swedish church is moving 3 miles down the road. It's relocating before a mine swallows the town
KIRUNA, Sweden — How do you move one of Sweden's most beloved wooden churches down the road? With a little bit of engineering, a lot of prayer — and some Eurovision for good luck. The Kiruna Church — called Kiruna Kyrka in Swedish — and its belfry are being moved this week along a 3-mile route east to a new city center as part of the town's relocation. It's happening because the world's largest underground iron-ore mine is threatening to swallow the town. This week, thousands of visitors have descended upon Kiruna, Sweden's northernmost town at 124 miles above the Arctic Circle. It's home to roughly 23,000 people, including members of the Sami Indigenous people, spread over nearly 7,528 square feet. Lena Tjärnberg, the church's vicar, kicked off the move — after the church was earlier lifted up on beams to be wheeled across the town — with a blessing Tuesday morning. Thousands of spectators lined the streets, bundled up in layers to brave strong winds and sub-50 degrees temperatures as the church inched along for hours at a glacial pace. The journey is scheduled to end Wednesday afternoon. In 2001, the Swedish people voted the wooden church the 'best building of all time, built before 1950' in a poll connected to the Ministry of Culture. Built on a hill so worshippers could overlook the rest of Kiruna, the Swedish Lutheran church was designed to emulate the Sami style as a gift from LKAB, the state-owned mining company. The Kiruna mine itself dates back to 1910 and the church was completed in 1912. Its neo-Gothic exterior is considered the town's most distinctive building and tourists regularly traveled there before it was closed a year ago to prepare for the relocation. It's set to reopen in the new location at the end of 2026. Tjärnberg said the final service in the old spot was bittersweet. 'The last day you go down the stairs and close the church door, you know it's going to be several years before you can open it — and in a new place,' she said. 'We don't know how it's going to feel to open the door.' This week's move has turned into a two-day highly choreographed media spectacle, run by LKAB and featuring an appearance by Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. Musical performances will include a set from KAJ, Sweden's 2025 Eurovision entry that was the bookies' favorite to win this year's contest but lost out to classically trained countertenor JJ of Austria. SVT, Sweden's national broadcaster, is capitalizing on the showcase and is livestreaming the move both days, billing it as 'The Great Church Walk' to play off its success with the spring showing of 'The Great Moose Migration' that has enthralled millions of viewers annually since 2019. Known for both the Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights, Kiruna and the surrounding area is a major draw year-round for visitors to Swedish Lapland. The region also features the Aurora Sky Station, the Icehotel and Kebnekaise, the Nordic country's highest mountain. British tourists Anita and Don Haymes had already trekked to Kiruna twice before this year's trip. When they heard about the church's move, they changed their itinerary to ensure they'd be here for it. They took photographs of it propped up on beams and wheels this week before the move. 'It's an amazing feat that they are doing,' Anita Haymes said Sunday. 'It'll be interesting to see it moving, unbelievable.' Swedish spectator Johan Arveli traveled 10 hours to be a part of Tuesday's crowd. 'I've been waiting for this for a couple of years,' he said. 'I didn't know what to expect. I had to see it because it's a weird thing and a big thing.' But not everyone is thrilled about LKAB's extravaganza. Lars-Marcus Kuhmunen, chairman of one of the Sami reindeer herding organizations in Kiruna, said LKAB's plans for a new mine could threaten reindeer migration routes and imperil the livelihood of herders in the area. The move of Kiruna's town center, including the church, has been in the works since 2004. As the mine expanded deeper underground, residents began seeing cracks in buildings and roads. In order to reach a new depth of 4,478 feet — and to prevent Kiruna from being swallowed up — officials began moving buildings to a new downtown at a safe distance from the mine. As of July, 25 buildings had been lifted up onto beams and wheeled east. Sixteen, including the church, remain. At approximately 131 feet wide with a weight of 741 tons, the church required extra effort. Engineers widened a major road from 30 to 79 feet and dismantled a viaduct to make way for a new intersection. A driver, using a large control box, is piloting the church through the route as it travels roughly 12 hours over Tuesday and Wednesday — with a pause each day for fika, the traditional Swedish afternoon coffee break. It's expected to move at a varying pace between 0.31 and 0.93 miles per hour. Frida Albertsson, who moved to Kiruna six months ago, said she was initially 'very nervous' for the church's move. 'I was worried that it was going to fall apart,' she said Tuesday. 'But it didn't, so I'm very happy.' Stefan Holmblad Johansson, LKAB's project manager for the move, would not say how much it has cost the mining company. Dazio, Haarala and Cristofaro write for the Associated Press.
NBC News
32 minutes ago
- NBC News
A Swedish church is moving 3 miles down the road, relocating before a mine swallows the town
How do you move one of Sweden's most beloved wooden churches down the road? With a little bit of engineering, a lot of prayer — and some Eurovision for good luck. The Kiruna Church — called Kiruna Kyrka in Swedish — and its belfry are being moved this week along a 3-mile route east to a new city center as part of the town's relocation. It's happening because the world's largest underground iron-ore mine is threatening to swallow the town. This week, thousands of visitors have descended upon Kiruna, Sweden's northernmost town at 124 miles above the Arctic Circle. It's home to roughly 23,000 people, including members of the Sami Indigenous people, spread over nearly 7,528 square feet. Lena Tjärnberg, the church's vicar, kicked off the move — after the building was earlier lifted up on beams to be wheeled across the town — with a blessing Tuesday morning. The journey is scheduled to end Wednesday afternoon. The church was a gift from the mining company In 2001, the Swedish people voted the wooden church the 'best building of all time, built before 1950' in a poll connected to the Ministry of Culture. Built on a hill so worshippers could overlook the rest of Kiruna, the Swedish Lutheran church was designed to emulate the Sami style as a gift from LKAB, the state-owned mining company. The Kiruna mine itself dates back to 1910 and the church was completed in 1912. Its neo-Gothic exterior is considered the town's most distinctive building and tourists regularly traveled there before it was closed a year ago to prepare for the relocation. It's set to reopen in the new location at the end of 2026. Tjärnberg said the final service in the old spot was bittersweet. 'The last day you go down the stairs and close the church door, you know it's going to be several years before you can open it — and in a new place,' she said. 'We don't know how it's going to feel to open the door.' The spectacle This week's move has turned into a two-day highly choreographed media spectacle, run by LKAB and featuring an appearance by Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. Musical performances will include a set from KAJ, Sweden's 2025 Eurovision entry that was the bookies' favorite to win this year's contest but lost out to classically trained countertenor JJ of Austria. SVT, Sweden's national broadcaster, is capitalizing on the showcase and is livestreaming the move both days, billing it as 'The Great Church Walk' to play off its success with the spring showing of 'The Great Moose Migration' that has enthralled millions of viewers annually since 2019. Known for both the Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights, Kiruna and the surrounding area is a major draw year-round for visitors to Swedish Lapland. The region also features the Aurora Sky Station, the Icehotel and Kebnekaise, the Nordic country's highest mountain. British tourists Anita and Don Haymes had already trekked to Kiruna twice before this year's trip. When they heard about the church's move, they changed their itinerary to ensure they'd be here for it. They took photographs of it propped up on beams and wheels this week before the move. 'It's an amazing feat that they are doing,' Anita Haymes said Sunday. 'It'll be interesting to see it moving, unbelievable.' But not everyone is thrilled about LKAB's extravaganza. Lars-Marcus Kuhmunen, chairman of one of the Sami reindeer herding organizations in Kiruna, said LKAB's plans for a new mine could threaten reindeer migration routes and imperil the livelihood of herders in the area. The mechanics behind the move The move of Kiruna's town center, including the church, has been in the works since 2004. As the mine expanded deeper underground, residents began seeing cracks in buildings and roads. In order to reach a new depth of 4,478 feet — and to prevent Kiruna from being swallowed up — officials began moving buildings to a new downtown at a safe distance from the mine. As of July, 25 buildings had been lifted up onto beams and wheeled east. Sixteen, including the church, remain. At approximately 131 feet wide with a weight of 741 tons, the church required extra effort. Engineers widened a major road from 30 to 79 feet and dismantled a viaduct to make way for a new intersection. A driver, using a large control box, is piloting the church through the route as it travels roughly 12 hours over Tuesday and Wednesday — with a pause each day for fika, the traditional Swedish afternoon coffee break. It's expected to move at a varying pace between 0.31 and 0.93 miles per hour.
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Entire Swedish church set to be moved to avoid falling into a mine
The Kiruna Church in Sweden is being wheeled away from its original location to avoid damage form an expanding mine. Photo by Fedrik Sandberg/EPA Aug. 19 (UPI) -- An entire Swedish church is set to be relocated to avoid damage from the expansion an iron ore mine underneath it. The 113-year-old Kiruna Church has been uprooted and placed on a trailer and is expected to travel for two days. Residents have started seeing cracks in buildings and roads in nearby areas as the underground iron ore mine, the largest in the world, expanded. Officials have begun moving buildings to a safe distance from the mine. The relocation of the church began with a ceremony, with large crowds watching as the structure rolled forward. "It's a big crowd. People came not just from Kiruna and other parts of Sweden. I heard many different languages being spoken," said culture strategist Sofia Lagerlöf Mättää. "It's like history taking place in front of our eyes." Project Manager Stefan Holmblad Johansson, said: "It's a historic event, a very big and complex operation, and we don't have a margin of error. But everything is under control." Swedish Law states that mining cannot take place under buildings. "There's no risk of people falling through cracks. But fissures would eventually damage the water, electricity, and sewage supply. People have to move before the infrastructure fails," chief executive officer of Kiruna's development company, Robert Ylitalo, explained. One of the most delicate aspects in the church's interior is its great altar painting made by prine Eugen. "It's glued directly onto a masonry wall, so it would have been difficult to remove without damage. So it will remain inside the church during the move, fully covered and stabilized. So will the organ with its 1,000 pipes," said Johansson. The Kiruna Church was voted as Sweden's most beautiful pre-1950 building.
