Airbnb experiences themed after K-pop boy band Seventeen to be rolled out in major cities

Straits Times

a day ago

Airbnb experiences themed after K-pop boy band Seventeen to be rolled out in major cities
SEOUL – 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 so beneficial, according to Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky.
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 Airbnb travellers as a whole, because of the unique experience it offered.
The collaboration included replicating the set of Seventeen's music video Love, Money, Fame (2024) into a real-life accommodation, allowing Carats - what Seventeen fans are dubbed - to experience a unique stay. The same props from the music video were also used to furnish the Seventeen-inspired Airbnb room.
'We plan to roll out Seventeen-themed Airbnb programmes in major cities,' Mr Chesky said at the press conference, without identifying where.
This followed a meet-and-greet event for 60 pre-selected Seventeen fans where the K-pop act were one-day-only special Airbnb hosts, in celebration of its 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, an ambitious programme Airbnb launched in May to focus on unique activities run by local hosts.
The programme is to help travellers truly experience their local surroundings with local hosts who know just how to do so, according to Mr 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 personally finds deeply inspirational.
According to Airbnb Korea, bookings on the platform in the country in 2024 soared 20 per cent 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
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