Airbnb's new app: the lifestyle leap & the trouble with mixing services and experiences

Les points-clés en français au bas de l'article

Airbnb wants to be more than just a place to book a bed. With its newly launched app, it’s trying to become your one-stop shop for travel – and maybe even your daily life. From curated celebrity experiences to hiring a local photographer, the platform now offers everything from party planning to pedicures. But in trying to do everything, is it forgetting what it does best?

The new app includes a revamped 'Experiences' feature (first introduced in 2016) and an 'Originals' subsection which is derived from its ICONS program and gives access to curated experiences hosted by celebrities – "Plan a summer party with Brooklyn Beckham".

The real novelty lies in the 'Services' section, which allows users to book everything, from a makeup session to a photo shoot, including a yoga course and a private chef. Airbnb's stated ambition is to centralize services in order to provide users a seamless, immersive experience from start to finish.

Yet the execution feels underwhelming for several reasons:
• The feeling of accumulation and of a lack of curation
If you search for photography services in NYC, you'll find 130 listings. And while these services are quality-checked by Airbnb for their quality, they're created by individual hosts and many are presented more like classified ads for home repair or personal care than curated travel experiences.

• Blurred boundaries
While some offerings clearly fall into one category (a Plague Doctor Tour in Prague is obviously not a "service"), others like a makeup session or a private dinner could belong to either. This blurring creates confusion and dilutes the value of each category: can photography be considered a service or is it an experience?

• Mismatch in use cases
Experiences are designed to be rare, memorable moments. Services, by contrast, tend to be repeatable and utilitarian. There are two sources of tension here:
- Are users meant to book a training session in Tokyo or a haircut in LA as part of their trip or are they expected to use the new app at home for everyday needs?

- While experiences entail discovery and surprise – where Airbnb can truly add value –, services are repeated on a regular basis and do not require an app to be found: once you have found your hairstylist, why would you use the app again?

Services vs. experiences: why the distinction matters

That said, Airbnb's experiment raises an interesting question: what exactly distinguishes a service from an experience?
At a glance:
Experiences engage users emotionally; they are participatory, memorable, rooted in place and often transformative
Services fulfill a practical need; they are perceived as more transactional, standardized, and passive by design

This distinction matters. Today's travelers expect seamless service but increasingly crave moments of transformation, i.e. the kind of experiences that elevate a trip into something unforgettable. In other words, services are baseline, experiences are aspiration.

Elevating travel

Many hospitality brands are exploring this evolution and pushing the boundaries of meaningful travel and transformative experiences, for instance through:

• Human connection: Hotel La Perla in the Dolomites matches guests with local artisans for shared creative experiences
• Bodily transformation: Kimpton Hotels and Standard Hotels offering guests tiny tattoos as lasting souvenirs
• Learning: Emerald Cruises offering artistic upskilling workshops onboard reflecting local traditions
  
  These are not commodities or services you consume. They are moments you remember, share, and perhaps even carry with you.

TO SUM UP

Airbnb’s attempt to become a one-stop travel shop reflects a broader ambition to own not just where we stay, but how we live – when away from home and also when we're at home. But by mixing in utilitarian services (like haircuts or photo shoots), it risks diluting that identity and confusing users about what the platform stands for.

Services, especially when they appear less curated or user-generated (like classified ads), can lower the perceived quality of the app. That contrast makes even the well-designed “experiences” feel less premium.

True value in travel today doesn’t come from convenience alone – it comes from curated, human-centered experiences. There may be a place for both the everyday and the exceptional on Airbnb but perhaps not so close together.

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En français :

• Avec sa nouvelle application, Airbnb se positionne comme un "guichet unique" non seulement du voyage mais de la vie quotidienne
• Des "Services" tels que shootings photo, coaching sportif, traiteur, coiffure ou maquillage sont désormais accessibles depuis la même interface que les "Expériences" inoubliables proposées, dans certains cas, par des professionnels reconnus (parfois des stars)
• Une proximité qui crée une forme de confusion mais a le mérite de reposer la question de la distinction entre :
  - d'une part les services, ancrés dans un quotidien et dont les dimensions utilitaire et transactionnelle sont fortement perçue
  - d'autre part les expériences, moments uniques qui engagent beaucoup plus fortement et émotionnellement à travers une participation active
• Les acteurs du voyage et de l'hôtellerie rivalisent d'imagination pour créer des "expériences transformatives" qui laissent une trace, qu'elle soit physique sur les corps (tatouages), dans les cerveaux (apprentissage de savoir-faire locaux) ou dans les coeurs (lien humain, partage de moments)