Airbnb is eyeing up the luxury market and plans to launch a premium rental service to compete with hotels, it has been reported.
According to Bloomberg, the home-sharing company is readying a pilot for the service, tentatively referred to as ‘Select’. It is geared towards enticing older, wealthier travellers who currently prefer the tried-and-tested amenities guaranteed by hotels.
Airbnb hosts participating in the trial will be visited by an inspector, who will rate them for amenities ranging from ‘matching bed linens to plush towels and single-use toiletries typically found in hotel bathrooms’, says Bloomberg.
Other hotel suite touches, such as tea and coffee selections and bottled water will also be encouraged (there’s no mention of fluffy slippers and dressing gowns, however.)
In return for their participation, hosts will have their abode shot by a professional photographer, and they’ll also receive a free consultation with an interior decorator, and ‘priority placement in a new section for premium places’.
The service is rumoured to be launching by the end of 2017, while the pilot is expected to begin imminently.
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