Airbnb looks set to relaunch Luxe, the premium tier of its rental platform that quietly disappeared from view in 2020. CEO Brian Chesky broke the news to a select group of hosts at the company's invitation-only summit in San Francisco, and two property managers who were in the room later described the plan to Skift. Airbnb itself hasn't confirmed anything publicly and declined to comment.
For context: Luxe grew out of Airbnb's 2017 acquisition of Luxury Retreats, a villa specialist, and launched in June 2019 as a curated collection of high-end homes with hotel-style polish. It was shelved the following year when Airbnb cut a quarter of its workforce as the pandemic gutted travel. Now, with demand for upscale private accommodation still strong, the company appears ready to rebuild the program — either under the Luxe name or something close to it.
The interesting part is how selective it will supposedly be. A summit slide outlined the bar hosts would need to clear: standout design with premium materials, recently updated kitchens and bathrooms, an upscale location offering guests privacy, a fully equipped high-end kitchen, king or queen beds each with their own en-suite bath, private laundry, and proper air-conditioning and heating throughout. According to one attendee, hosts will apply and first be assessed on location, home quality and amenities against those published standards. Pass that stage and the property still faces an in-person inspection before it makes the cut.
Chesky reportedly framed the luxury push alongside several other priorities: better support for hosts operating in cities with strict short-term rental rules, growing the overall supply of listings, and reaching new audiences. He also moved to reassure hosts that Airbnb's expanding interest in hotels wouldn't come at their expense — a sore point since the company began courting boutique hoteliers more openly.
Why should a holidaymaker care? If the relaunch happens as described, it means a genuinely vetted tier of luxury homes on Airbnb — not just listings that self-describe as "luxury" — with third-party checks on design, comfort and location. Travellers who abandoned the platform for villa agencies and five-star resorts because of quality uncertainty may find a reason to come back. For hosts with genuinely exceptional properties, it's a potential route to a premium audience and pricing. The caveats: nothing is officially announced yet, timing and branding are unclear, and details could shift before launch. But the direction of travel is obvious — Airbnb wants a serious seat at the luxury table again.
