New Airbnb Ads Target Hosts No One Else Will Chase

The Hosts No One Else Is Targeting

The new Airbnb ads showcase a parade, a cactus, a sauna, wildly different, yet connected by the same goal: bringing new types of hosts onto the platform.
This is a calculated move to unlock inventory that’s temporary, situational, or overlooked, from overwhelmed city hosts to rural vacation homeowners.

For professional property managers, this matters. These hosts may become future clients, part-time collaborators, or even competition.

Airbnb’s Strategy: Not Just Growing Supply, But Creating It

Hosting isn’t sold as a lifestyle anymore. It’s framed as a flexible, part-time option, even a one-time event. Airbnb is engineering the infrastructure to support pop-up and part-time hosting, creating new supply where others see friction.

We’ll break down three campaigns:
• “Sidekick” = onboarding overwhelmed hosts through co-hosts
• “NutFest” = enabling short, event-driven supply
• Japan = stoking domestic demand in rural markets

Ad Breakdown #1 – “Sidekick”

Co-Hosting Isn’t a Nice-to-Have, It’s the On-Ramp to Supply

A stressed homeowner struggles to keep up with hosting tasks until a cheerful co-host steps in to help with everything from messaging guests to handling check-outs. It emphasises that Hosting doesn’t have to be a solo job. If it feels overwhelming, a co-host can step in and support you.

This ad is about reducing friction. Airbnb knows many people are interested in hosting, but get overwhelmed by logistics. Co-hosts are framed as helpful, human, and accessible, the friend who handles it for you.
Strategically, Airbnb is keeping these new hosts within its ecosystem. No channel managers, no third-party tools. Just co-hosts and Airbnb.

Ad Breakdown #2 – “NutFest”

Airbnb Wants Your House for Three Days a Year, And That’s Enough

We see a homeowner looking a bit frazzled during a chaotic local festival. The neighborhood is noisy, crowded, and full of energy. Rather than stick around, he packs a bag, lists his home on Airbnb, and heads out, relaxing somewhere quieter while his home earns money in her absence. 

Airbnb is targeting event-based supply, people who rent just a few days per year during big festivals or local events.
These listings are harder for competitors to win and easier for cities to tolerate. Airbnb can absorb the onboarding cost because these hosts show up when prices surge.

Ad Breakdown #3 – “Vacation in Japan”

Domestic Demand, Nature Travel, and Sauna Stays

It’s the only ad not targeting hosts, but instead focused on domestic demand stimulation. It’s aimed at travelers, particularly within Japan, showcasing nature, simplicity, and nostalgia.

Post-COVID, Airbnb continues betting on domestic travel and rural stays. The visuals reinforce a peaceful, off-grid vibe that makes hosting look viable (and desirable) outside urban hubs. This ad is part of a long-term effort to reshape Airbnb’s presence in Japan by focusing on regional and domestic travel.

It also sets the tone for part-time, emotion-driven hosting — where guests become future hosts.

What It All Adds Up To: Airbnb Is Engineering a New Kind of Host

This isn’t just supply expansion, it’s host invention.
Airbnb is going after situational, seasonal, and ‘sometime’ hosts that no other OTA is equipped to reach.

For property managers, that’s your future market:
• Casual hosts who want help, but not a business
• Event-based hosts who need “pop-up” services
• Rural hosts who need hyperlocal knowledge

They may not want full-service PMs yet, but they’ll need support. Be ready.

What Professional Managers Should Watch Next

Watch every Airbnb ad. They don’t always spell things out; strategy is often baked into the storytelling, visuals, and tone.

So what should you track?

• Monitoring how Airbnb onboards and retains these hosts.
• Tracking updates to the Co-Host Network or new Host tools.
• Thinking about how your offering might serve this evolving host type.

When Airbnb tells a story about a man escaping a parade or friends relaxing in a sauna, don’t just enjoy the vibe; read between the lines. That’s Airbnb, scaling supply in places others won’t go.