Ask Me Anything with Airbnb’s Head of Experiences

Since Airbnb’s relaunch of Experiences earlier this year, we’ve been waiting for a chance to put their new Global Head of Experiences, Doug Weiss, in the hot seat.  

At Arival 360 | Washington, DC we got our chance. After a little bit of goat yoga (you had to be there), Arival Co-founder and CCO Bruce Rosard sat across from Weiss in a packed room to moderate the Ask Me Anything session. 

Weiss opened up about Airbnb’s current strategy, what they’re trying to do differently this time around, and fielded questions from the audience on the differences between stays and Experience hosts and the pain points operators have had with listing products on the platform.

Here are a few takeaways from that conversation. Watch the full conversation on-demand here. 

What is Airbnb Doing Differently This Time Around?

One of the main priorities Airbnb had for the relaunch, based on operator feedback, was a focus on making participation easier for operators, Weiss explained. This means improving integrations with reservation technology (res-tech) platforms, allowing businesses to connect their existing systems with Airbnb. 

Airbnb is also aiming to position Experiences as a more central part of Airbnb’s overall offering, Weiss shared.

“ When we relaunched [Experiences], we really wanted it to become a core pillar of how people think about the platform,” he said.

Shortly after the Arival event, Airbnb also announced social features, which enable users to interact with travelers they meet on Experiences in the Airbnb app.

How Can Operators Succeed on Airbnb Experiences?

Weiss explained that Airbnb’s renewed approach to curation involves vetting both the experience and the host, using guest reviews and other performance signals as key indicators.

So how can operators pass the vetting process to list their products on the platform? 

He advised operators to focus on three things to improve their chances of approval: deliver consistently excellent guest experiences, invest in high-quality visuals that accurately showcase the experience and what differentiates it, and ensure all local licenses are in place — particularly as Airbnb expands further into offering experiences that include visitor attractions.

Learn More about Airbnb Experiences and Distribution Strategy with Arival

If you have strong feelings about any of what was just said, or curiosity about what comes next, do check out the full debate, which includes Weiss’ response to audience questions, available on-demand here for Insider Pro Access members. And don’t miss the next Arival events, where we’ll continue the conversation on the latest with distribution strategy, working with platforms like Airbnb and how to stand out online.