Airbnb recently added a new way for travelers to find exciting destinations: Categories.
Categories allow users to pick accommodations based on more than just location, though some — like the national park and beach options — are related. Others have names like “OMG!” or “Barns.”
The OMG! category features accommodations that are notable primarily for being unusual.
Here are some of the most surprising OMG! options:
Guitar House Airbnb, Sindun-Myeon, South Korea
Wooden Boats, Rizhao, China
Peace & Quiet Hotel- Floating Glass Room
Cabane Drommen – L’Arbre à Cabane
Casa Acantilado
A spaceship-style home
The Bloomhouse by Lodgewell>>Fairy Tale Escape
Converted train car
Breathtaking Mountain views in cozy Birdbox
Aura House 2bds Eco Bamboo House, Pool, River View
Luxury suite overlooking the Wadden Sea, Harlingen
Boot house style home
Leafy Greens Chiangmai : Snail Dome (SND)
There are over 30,000 rentals in the OMG! category. Airbnb reports that such accommodations are so popular that the company plans to build more.
Airbnb has announced it will start a $10 million fund from which they’ll disperse $100,000 each to 100 winning entrants. The funds will help entrants construct wild accommodations for listing on Airbnb’s website.
Entrants must submit proposals by July 22. The company will judge proposals based on several factors: feasibility, originality, sustainability, and guest experience.
Winning entrants must abide by the following requirement: renting the completed spaces on Airbnb for at least a year without listing them on alternative short-term accommodation rental websites.
According to the company, the average U.S. host made more than $13,000 last year, 85% more than in 2019. Accommodations that merit OMG! status received 49% more bookings.
In more recent news, Airbnb has made its earlier party ban permanent.
Initially, the company created a temporary ban in response to a deadly shooting at a party in one of its listings. They left the ban in place when COVID-19 swept the globe.
The party ban has reduced property damage in rentals.
