You may have missed the chance to spend the night in Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse or Shrek's Swamp, but don't fret, because Airbnb just took its once-in-a-lifetime stays and experiences up a notch. On May 1, Airbnb announced its latest category, Icons, a new vertical for “extraordinary experiences hosted by the greatest names in music, film, television, art, sports, and more.” Airbnb's goal is to bring some of travelers' wildest dreams to life—from witnessing the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games along the River Seine in Paris (on a terrace in the Musée d’Orsay designed by Mathieu Lehanneur, the designer of the torch and cauldron for the Paris 2024 Games), to spending the night in the Ferrari Museum in Italy (and taking a lap with Scuderia Ferrari ambassador driver Marc Gené while you're there). With overnight stays in jaw-dropping locations and experiences you won't soon forget, these listings certainly live up to their name.
Last week, I took a trip to Westchester, New York, to see one of these new Icons properties: the X-Men X-Mansion. I arrived at the mansion as a “new trainee” and was led through the space (and back to 1997) by my guide, decked out in an Xavier Institute uniform. Immediately you’ll notice the attention to detail: each item in the property is painted and designed to look 2D as if you’ve hopped into the 1997 cartoon, from the banister on the stairs to the pillows. The rooms, costumes, and decor were all created to bring the movie to life. Upon entering the front door I was led up a spiral staircase to pick out a bedroom: Wolverine's with his workout bench and scratched-up walls, a trainee room with two twin beds, or Jubilee's tech-inspired room—her signature gumballs come included (there's a fourth bedroom on the first floor that doubles as the lab).
Jubilee's tech-inspired room in the X-Mansion, including her computer, boombox, and games
Once you’ve dropped your bags, it’s time for the training exercises: experimenting with mutant energy elixirs in the lab (drink mixology), learning a quick defense and attack routine in the Danger Room, and figuring out your mutant abilities after doing an X-Men-themed quiz—all interspersed with plenty of photo-ops. After a quick trip to Professor Xavier's office, you’re left alone by the staff for the night to enjoy your meal while watching your favorite X-Men films and TV shows.
While not all of the new Icons properties are as experiential as the X-Men mansion, which begins with a roughly two-hour activity staffed by a variety of highly entertaining cast members (guests can also book the experience without the overnight stay), they each have something special to offer. The 11 Icons properties that launched May 1 include a stay in the house
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It’s on about our fifth Kölsch that we begin to get the idea of Cologne’s constitution. We are sitting in Päffgen, one of the traditional brewhouses that produce the pale yellow beer unique to the German city. It comes in small straight glasses (it loses its fizz quickly apparently) and each time one is emptied, another one is delivered by a waiter swinging a kranz, or circular tray, which appears to defy gravity. The process of replacement goes on until you place a beer mat on top of your glass to signal that you’ve had enough.
This year, Italy’s hotel world is upping the ante when it comes to its many standout luxury offerings, with a plethora of new openings and property updates giving even more choice to visitors. From Italy’s mountainous peaks to its azure waters in the dramatic south of the country, here is Part 2 of Italy’s latest hotel news from the centre to the south of the country.
Ever dreamed of spending a night in Paris’ Musée D’Orsay? Or parking yourself among the race cars in the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy? Or how about drifting off to sleep among clouds in the house from Up? Those are just a few of the fantastical locations recently revealed in Airbnb’s Icons collection for summer 2024. Airbnb says it will offer more dreamy locations on a regular basis—mostly for free—and more than 4,000 “golden tickets” will be awarded to guests this year.
When planning a recent weekend trip from my home in New York City to Washington, D.C., I was delighted by the many transportation options to choose from. But the more I looked at the options, the more I began to wonder which option was the best. With many different ways to get between the two cities — planes, trains and automobiles — I decided to put two of them to the test.
When Airbnb started, CEO Brian Chesky said its tagline "was a cheap, affordable alternative to a hotel" — but customers aren't finding it so cheap anymore.
Destination weddings are a great way to see the world. That's why I was ecstatic when my best friend asked me to be her plus-one to a ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, one of the top unique wedding destinations for 2024 and 2025.
Padua, in northern Italy's Veneto region, is the site of one of the world’s greatest art treasures that should be on every art lover’s bucket list. The Scrovegni Chapel houses the extraordinary 14th-century fresco cycle by Giotto that covers all the walls and ceilings. Despite having such a masterpiece and being a lovely small city, filled with history, culture and culinary delights, Padua is far less touristy than other Italian other art cities like Florence, Rome or nearby Venice. It’s a real hidden gem. And, at just 25 miles from Venice and easy to reach from Marco Polo airport, Padua is an easy day trip or addition to a Venice itinerary.
Ever dreamed of spending a night in the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy, tucked in a bed crafted with the same leather as Ferrari car seats? What’s more, you’ll be surrounded by 110 elite trophies and encircled by the Ferrari cars that won those accolades and feel the speed of the Ferrari 296GTB on a private ride on the Pista di Fiorano, Ferrari’s private racetrack.