(Airbnb reports that, in a beta-testing of the Luxe platform, they found 60 percent of bookings were done on mobile.) However, if you’re someone who prefers to plan over the phone, there’s always a number to call.Īfter confirming that Terre di San Giustino was available during my desired dates, my reservation was approved. As a typical millennial who dreads a phone call and loves iMessage and Slack, it was a refreshing way to plan. We mostly instant messaged through the Airbnb app. And that’s not factoring in the add-ons: like activities, grocery pre-stocking, airport transfers, and so on. It also came with a chef and housekeeping-a novel step for the company.Īnd, while we’re talking about cost, I should add that none of this comes cheap: Terre di San Giustino is $7,309 a night (the price goes up and down depending on the season).

Amenities included an infinity pool, a tennis court, and a courtyard garden with a fountain and giant chessboard. The four-bedroom property was comprised of a series of stone buildings, each with their own name: Fienile, Scuderia, and La Colombaia. I settled on Terre di San Giustino, an idyllic-looking getaway in Tuscany. Most have multiple bedrooms, and sometimes even multiple homes-the platform’s offerings are geared more toward group travelers. There were historic accommodations (a villa in Jamaica where Ian Fleming worked on his James Bond novels), exotic locales (a French Polynesian island with its own time zone that rents over $140,000 a night in August), and professionally designed spaces (a Kelly Wearstler house in Beverly Hills). The options were exciting, to say the least.

But what is it really like to stay at an Airbnb Luxe property? A week before the launch, I set out to discover the answer-and in the process, became the first person to experience the new venture.įirst, I needed to pick a place to stay. Lofty descriptors and marketing buzzwords are one thing.

Luxury airbnb