Airbnb’s ‘Experiences’ Has Celeb Buzz, but ‘Services’ Is More Useful

Airbnb is trying to expand beyond just vacation rentals — and it’s enlisted some celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion and Patrick Mahomes to get some buzz going for its new offerings.

I have some questions.

It seems like these big names are only here to tout the new “Experiences” — things like throwing the pigskin with Mahomes or hanging out with Megan for the day. These all cost nothing, but go to only a handful of contest winners.

The celebs are obviously only going to be around for this promo period. After that, are people going to turn to Airbnb for a day tour of Philadelphia or a cooking class in Honolulu? Maybe. I have my doubts.

Meanwhile, another one of Airbnb’s launches — called “Services” (think private chefs and photographers) — could make a lot of sense for people on vacation who need to find a trusted … well, service person.

There’s also something big in all of this for Airbnb: your data. More on that later.

For now, let’s look at a couple of these “Airbnb Originals” that are part of its new Experiences.

Spend a Sunday Funday with Patrick Mahomes

Toss a football and have a barbecue lunch with the Chiefs quarterback at a rental cabin near Kansas City.

Only four people (and their plus-one ) will get to do this.

Become an Otaku Hottie with Megan Thee Stallion

This is the most exciting option (to me), but also one of the more confusing ones. Twelve winners will get to make ramen with the rapper, dress up in a costume, and play Xbox with her.

The description of the actual run of events looks like this:

There are a handful of other slightly less famous celebrity experiences that do charge. Brooklyn Peltz Beckham (son of David and Victoria, son-in-law of billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz) offers a cooking demonstration for $150 per guest. Pro wrestlers Nikki and Brie Garcia offer a chance to sit in on their podcast taping for $195. Chance the Rapper is having a listening party for $110.

A rep for Airbnb told Business Insider that pricing was up to the celebrity and that another A-list celebrity would soon be doing a paid event, with the fees going to charity.

How to actually win these free experiences

There’s a disconnect here between these star-studded promotional things and the new Experiences Airbnb is trying to promote. These are largely contests to win a free prize, not an experience or service you pay for.

It’s not unlike a classic radio station contest where the 25th caller gets to meet Paul Stanley, or the 1990s MTV contests where suburban teens can win the chance for a big band to perform in their backyard.

The actual product Airbnb is launching is more practical and down-to-earth: high-quality tours and food experiences from vetted providers.

Even charging a nominal amount makes these celebrity experiences very different. Airbnb subsidizes the event, likely cutting the celebrity a big check to participate. This is a different business model from the regular tour guides, who make their money from customers.

A prompt to fill out your user bio with more information

Well, there is something that makes sense about all of this. I figured it out when I started the process to sign up for Megan Thee Stallion’s event on the Airbnb app.

It’s about getting your sweet, sweet data.

As part of my application process, I was asked to continue to fill out my user bio — adding things like my favorite song from high school, my hobbies, where I went to school, and my pet’s name (as a tech journalist, I must warn you here not to put information in a public bio that is commonly used for password reminder questions).

Tens of thousands of people want to hang out with Patrick Mahomes and Megan Thee Stallion. Only a handful will get to, but many will fill out their expanded bios, giving Airbnb lots of information on prospective users.

These expanded bios are part of Airbnb’s new ambitious rebrand: to be a place not just for vacation rentals, but for people to hire other people for anything. And part of that is building out is convincing customers to make personalized bios, so that the vendors can better see who they’re dealing with and vice versa.

I think the new feature called Services actually seems like a great idea — things like a hair stylist or makeup artist to come to your home or Airbnb rental for a big event are the kind of things people only want once in a while. And it will certainly open up tons of opportunities for chefs, trainers, stylists, etc., to get themselves in front of more clients.

But the Experiences? I’m not sure what this will all look like in a year after the celebrity buzz has died down.