Hosts around the world have been sharing their unique spaces on Airbnb for well over a decade, and guests have fallen for their one-of-a-kind stays, from domes and windmills to lighthouses and trains.
In the past two years alone, from 2019 to 2021, nights booked at unique properties have increased globally by nearly 50 percent and by 60 percent in Australia. With more guests booking unique stays, Hosts are also earning real income, with unique listings earning nearly $1 billion USD globally in 2021 alone, and almost $46m USD in Australia. In fact, globally, earnings by night and by traveller were higher for unique than for non-unique listings in 2021.
Through Airbnb Categories, launched this past May, it is easier than ever for guests to search unique listing types, connecting with unique homes and Hosts they may have otherwise overlooked. A brand new OMG! Category, which has been clicked on over 2.5 million times since launch, also showcases the zaniest of all unique homes on the platform.
The OMG! Category even inspired a first-of-its-size $10,000,000USD OMG! Fund, which will help finance 100 of the world’s craziest listing ideas with $100,000USD each, turning the spaces dreams are made of into real-life listings.
A closer look at unique homes reveals why these listing types have become fan favourites, for both guests and Hosts alike.
Tiny but Mighty: Tiny Homes Most Booked Listing Types in the World
While treehouses and barns abound on Airbnb – and are among the top 10 most booked unique listing types in the world – it’s tiny homes that take the top spot, proving that a little creativity can go a long way. In 2021, more than 2.5 million nights were booked in tiny homes alone.
This is a trend that isn’t quite replicated in Australia, though, and with a country as wide as ours, it’s perhaps unsurprising that beating out tiny homes for the number one spot is farm stays, followed by tiny homes and barns.
Tiny homes come in all shapes, just the same small size, but their Hosts also know that there’s nothing tiny about their income. Tiny homes around the world collectively earned their Hosts a total of more than $195 million in 2021 – the top grossing unique space type.
Take it from Host Katie Gassner, who with her husband, sold their hospitality business 3 years ago and decided that no longer wanting to travel for work and living fairly remotely, decided to give Airbnb Hosting a go. Katie and her husband haven’t looked back since, turning an old derelict van into a beautiful unique vintage van called ‘Stevie’ that is located on their 12 acre farm in rural Northern NSW near the Queensland border. The now Superhosts who started renting out their space in January 2021, believe that it is their amazing views, the opportunity to reset and the gourmet food that is prepared by Katie’s husband, an ex chef of 43 years that keeps guests coming back. With not a lot of food options in pumpenbil, guests are able to choose their meals from a menu that is sent before guests arrive. The entire food and accomodation experience that Katie and her husband offer has allowed them to earn over $100,000* in the 18 months since listing their space with their passion for food and hospitality being realised every day on their own property.
Unique Hosts and their Guests: Where Generations Meet Over One-of-a-Kind Stays
A closer look at unique Hosts reveals that many are over 50 and most are women. In Australia, for instance, more than half of all unique listing Hosts were aged 50+, and more than 7 in 10 were women. By contrast, guests booking unique stays skew younger: In
Australia, more than 8 in 10 guests booking unique stays are under 50, though still mainly women, with over 6 in 10 guests in Australia who book unique listings being women.
The result? Unique stays average 4.8-star reviews, globally – with shepherd’s huts, barns and trains receiving the best average reviews. And they just so happen to provide an excellent introduction to hosting, with nearly half of unique stays around the world serving as their Host’s first listing.
Emily Stygall, Host of one of Australia’s most wishlisted unique listings, Alkira Eco-Glamping Retreat has commented that having a unique Airbnb listing is really beneficial to stand out from the rest of the Airbnb listings that are out there. Emily also believes it is not always the location of a listing, but what unique attributes that space offers that guests are after. Emily collects treasured items from her various travels around the world and uses her experience of being an Airbnb Host to express her creativity and connect with hundreds of people in the process. Alkira Eco-Glamping Retreat is Emily’s first listing and so far in 2022 has generated $50,000* in earnings for Emily, which she has used to create two additional spaces on her farm for guests to enjoy including a cabin and stables. Being an Airbnb Host has allowed Emily to work from home and part time with the ultimate goal to dedicate all her time to running the three Airbnb spaces on her property, something that would be a dream come true for Emily who loves being outdoors and meeting beautiful like minded people.
Treetops at the Top: Most Wishlisted Unique Homes in the World
When they are not booking, guests are daydreaming about unique getaways, adding countless inspired stays to their wishlists. In 2021, unique listings were added to almost 20 million wishlists worldwide. Tucked away in a serene and leafy neighbourhood in East Point, Georgia sits the most wishlisted unique listing in the world, a beautifully appointed treehouse hosted by Darrel, with all the rustic trimmings but plenty of modern considerations, from a hot tub to indoor heated spaces, for the most cosy stay.
And treehouses are only the start, as these most wishlisted unique homes around the globe reveal:
The Mushroom Dome Retreat & LAND of Paradise Suite (Aptos, California, United States)
Redwood Treehouse Santa Cruz Mtns. (Watsonville, California, United States)
Trullo aromatic green (Ostuni, Apúlia, Italy)
Historic Tower with Views of the Lake and Countryside (Tuoro sul Trasimeno, Umbria, Italy)
Luxurious stone villa in Crete (Chania, Kriti, Greece)
Rainforest Tree House with Hot Springs (San Carlos, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica)
DreamCaught Treehouses – Treehouse (Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Live like a King in my Castle (Galway, Ireland)
holiday in prussian village church (Havelsee, Brandenburg, Germany)
*Katie’s income represents her Airbnb earnings from January 2021 to July 20, 2022, and Emily’s income represents her Airbnb earnings from January 1, 2022 to July 20, 2022. Like Katie and Emily, every Host’s experience hosting is unique. Host earnings vary widely depending on many factors, including availability, price, acceptance and cancellation rates, occupancy rate and the demand in the listing location. Globally, the median earnings for a tiny home Host active from January to December 2021 was $5,100 AUD, and the median earnings for a treehouse Host active from January to December 2021 was $6,359 AUD.
**Unique listings are defined by Hosts and include, but are not limited to the following types of listings: barn, boat, castle, campsite, hut, island, plane, shepherd’s hut, train, treehouse, windmill, yurt, etc.
*** 1 USD = 1.44195 AUD at time of conversion, 22 July, 2022
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