New Airbnb Campaign Aims to Guide, Personalize Travelers' Experiences

Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 3:32 PM ET, Wed April 20, 2016

Photo courtesy of Airbnb

Short-term rental service Airbnb has announced its largest campaign ever.

Launched Tuesday, the company's "Live There" campaign doesn't aim to sell users a home, but rather help guide and personalize their travel experiences.

In addition to digital and print ads, the campaign will feature 15-, 30- and 60-second television commercials that will air in the U.S. and other countries around the world through the summer.

"The number one reason people chose to travel on Airbnb is they want to live like a local," Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said in a statement released Tuesday. "They don't want to be tourists stuck in long lines, fighting with the crowds to see the same thing as everyone else."

"Our hosts offer more than just generic hospitality - they welcome travelers from around the world into their communities. Today is the start of an exciting journey to help people not just go somewhere, but truly live there," he added.

READ MORE: How Hotel, Airbnb Rates Compare Around the World

While the San Francisco-based company has marketed its hosts as local experts in the past, it will now call on those experts to provide tips to travelers visiting their neighborhoods through guidebooks.

Meanwhile, Airbnb is also launching a new search engine designed to track users' preferences and help personalize their results and ultimately their future stays.

"When looking for homes, each traveler will see different results based on their unique preferences," Airbnb said in a statement. "The new app starts a conversation with travelers about their ideal trip."

READ MORE: Airbnb Is Heating Up 2016's Spring Break

The personalized system will launch in nearly 700 neighborhoods across nearly two dozen cities worldwide, while the guidebook will launch with as many as 3 million tips from hosts in nearly three dozen cities around the world.

While the new offerings are certain to benefit Airbnb users and especially travelers looking to shake the tourist title, Airbnb's often cheaper price tag remains arguably its biggest draw, with the average Airbnb listing beating out the average hotel room rate in a majority of major cities worldwide.

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