Airbnb was born when its founders decided to rent out air mattresses in their apartments, but today it’s one of the biggest OTA platforms that can meet travelers’ unique needs with any budget. So now, you can also use it to rent out a luxury Airbnb.
If you own a high-end property in a popular travel destination and want to rent it out to luxury travelers who strive for unique experiences, you can take advantage of the Airbnb Luxe program.
Airbnb Luxury: How to Qualify for Airbnb Luxe and Get Started
Airbnb currently boasts more than 6 million listings worldwide. Different types of property can be listed as a place to stay—entire apartments and family homes, private rooms, tiny houses, cozy cottages, RVs, mansions, glamping facilities, and even castles.
But no matter what accommodation you offer, you can be a successful host only if you do your best to ensure your guests enjoy their stay. That means you’ll have a lot of responsibilities and routine tasks, so many hosts opt for vacation rental software like Hospitable to streamline their operations. With Hospitable, you can automate almost all repetitive tasks and have more time to focus on scaling your STR business.
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What is Airbnb Luxe?
Airbnb Luxe is one of the Airbnb categories that allows guests to book luxury stays and create personalized experiences. It’s a concept that Airbnb calls “bespoke travel.” This premium tier which includes some of the most luxurious accommodations in the world, was launched in 2019, two years after Airbnb acquired Luxury Retreats, a high-end rental company.
Airbnb Luxe is a curated selection of the world’s most extraordinary properties that go beyond standard vacation rentals. They are thoroughly vetted luxury rentals with 5-star-everything, the highest standard of service, and the added complete privacy. Luxury Retreats professionally manage Airbnb Luxe properties.
But Airbnb Luxe isn’t just about exceptional homes and locations. These pristine, expertly designed homes with high-end amenities come with their own trip designer, which is included in the home’s rate, no matter how much travelers pay per night. A trip designer is available 24/7 and works with guests to create their ideal experience.
How to qualify
If you own a luxury property and want to apply to Airbnb Luxe, fill out the application form at airbnb.com/luxury. Then an Airbnb Luxe representative will contact you to schedule an onboarding walkthrough that a local Airbnb Home Consultant will perform.
During the walkthrough, the Home Consultant will go through an assigned checklist to verify that all amenities are functional and that the home is in good condition and guest-ready. They will use a mobile app to take notes and pictures of the entire property, furnishings, kitchen amenities, appliances, etc. Findings from this visit will help determine Airbnb’s decision to add your listing and help accurately describe your property.
To qualify for Airbnb Luxe, your property must pass a comprehensive inspection across 300+ criteria and meet interior design and function standards. The potential Luxe homes are also evaluated by the unique features they possess, their location and surroundings, and the services that come with them, such as
Private chef
Childcare
Butler
Driver
Housekeeping
In-house massage therapist, etc.
You will receive email feedback about the onboarding walkthrough within two business days after the visit. If there are any issues, you must confirm that you will resolve them before advancing to the next stage of the onboarding process.
The Luxe team helps build Airbnb luxury listings to align with their internal formatting and ensure a consistent experience when travelers navigate the site. They will create a draft listing for you using the onboarding walkthrough report, professional photos of the rental you’ve provided, and information from your listing’s website.
This step typically takes three business days, and then the listing goes through internal QA. After that, the draft will be sent to you. You will have to review the listing and complete certain requirements before the listing can go live and start receiving bookings:
Enter information about tax rates and permits
Confirm that your listing has a smoke and carbon monoxide detector.
After you’ve provided your approval and completed the necessary requirements, the Airbnb Luxe team will set your listing live and let you know about it via email. Then your listing will be ready to accept reservations.
How to manage your Luxe listing
You can update such listing details as location, check-in and check-out instructions, house rules, house manual, and cancellation policies, and set up parameters on how guests can book your property. You can also use channel manager software only to update pricing and availability information. But you’ll need to contact the Luxe team if you want to modify such listing details as title, description, photos, services, amenities, or points of interest.
Guests can book your Luxe property directly or do it with the help of a trip designer using the Assisted Booking option. How you manage your reservations will vary, depending on whether you turn on Instant Book or choose Request to Book in your booking settings.
If a guest or a trip designer on their behalf requests to book your Airbnb luxury rental, you’ll get an email to notify you. If it’s a booking request from a guest, you’ll have 24 hours to accept or decline it before it expires. If the request is made with the assistance of a trip designer, you’ll have 72 hours to accept or reject it.
The booking dates in your calendar will be automatically blocked until you accept or decline the pending request. And if you enable Instant Book, guest, and trip designers will be able to book your property without reaching out to you. Trip designers are assigned to all Instant Book reservations within 24 hours.
Luxe trip designers are responsible for delivering trip-planning services to guests, and your support is essential to them to ensure a unique and memorable stay. You are expected to communicate with your guests and your trip designer through a 3-way messaging via Airbnb inbox during different stages of a guest trip.
The best practices for Luxe hosts are:
Be responsive to trip designers and answer all their questions in the chat
Actively message guests before arrival to ensure a seamless check-in process
Keep an active conversation with guests during their stay and be available and responsive in case of any emergencies
Reach out to trip designers directly via email when in doubt or dealing with sensitive situations in the 3-way messaging thread to clarify or further discuss such situations.
Airbnb Luxury Rentals
Airbnb Luxe provides access to one-of-a-kind and spectacular properties with dedicated trip designers who will ensure the stay is tailored to the traveler’s unique needs. Many of the Airbnb luxury rentals are located in exclusive neighborhoods in cities or in remote, scenic areas that offer breathtaking views. Here are some of the finest homes listed on Airbnb Luxe.
This luxury villa with incredible contemporary interiors and high-end amenities is located between the famous Canoubiers Beach and the village of St. Tropez. It has six luxurious bedrooms with double beds and one bedroom with twin beds and features a heated pool, a pool house with a kitchen, and a wine cellar.
This cozy seaside villa with access to a secluded white-sand beach and a swimming pool is just a mile away from the Mayan Ruins of Tulum. The two-bedroom rental features a fully equipped kitchen, sun beds, and hammocks and is a perfect place to spend a family vacation away from the crowds.
Legendary Palm Springs architect E. Stewart Williams designed this mid-century masterpiece with spectacular interiors. The estate has four one-of-a-kind bedrooms and a gourmet kitchen and features luxurious, contemporary amenities but retains its classic Hollywood charm.
This modern, stunning oceanfront beach house with open-concept living spaces was featured in numerous design magazines and epitomized the Malibu lifestyle. The five-bedroom rental features hand-picked designer furniture and high-end appliances and is thoughtfully decorated with contemporary art.
This gorgeous five-bedroom villa with a raised terrace is a perfect holiday property. It features a private swimming pool and an outdoor kitchen with a BBQ grill and is a great place to disconnect from everyday life, find shade under a palm tree, and view incredible sunset.
Luxury Items for Airbnb You Can Invest in to Impress Your Guests
Qualifying for Airbnb Luxe isn’t easy, and only the best properties are selected. But if you want to take your vacation rental to the next level, consider adding some high-end amenities and luxury items. They will set your Airbnb property apart from the rest and are sure to enhance the guest experience, offering more convenience and comfort:
Fluffy towels, high thread count sheets, and memory foam pillows
A selection of high-end personal care products—makeup remover, skincare, shower gel, soap, body lotion, shampoo, hair conditioner, moisturizer, shaving cream
Air conditioning
Pod coffee machine
Ice maker
An outdoor gas fire pit or indoor fireplace
Home gym
Outdoor hot tub or swimming pool
This way, you can wow your guests and make them feel pampered and special. Even if you don’t own a Luxe Airbnb, investing in these luxury Airbnb amenities will help you earn 5-star reviews every time and get more bookings.
