Airbnb Touts Experiences 2.0, Booking.com Courts NBA Fans, eviivo Streamlines Checkout with PayPal

Airbnb Relaunches Experiences with Full-Scale Ad Push Featuring Creators, Celebs, Cities, and Locals

• After relaunching Experiences in its latest summer update 2025, Airbnb is making a major move to revive its Experiences, backed by a global marketing campaign that focuses on real hosts, real cities, and more meaningful travel.
• Its flagship video ad, The Grand Adventure, reframes travel as people-first, not about ticking off landmarks, but connecting with local experts.
• To localize the message, Airbnb released Shorts for Tokyo and Mexico City. The Tokyo spot features masters of ramen, tea ceremony, and Edo lantern-making. Mexico’s highlights include luchadores, a fashion editor, and a retired footballer.
• Instagram Reels showcase celebrity-led experiences: Brooklyn Beckham hosts a dinner in LA, Humberto Leon leads a brunch, Dr. Woo teaches tattoo art, and Demetrious Johnson runs an MMA session.
• Airbnb is also promoting Originals — exclusive, one-time events hosted by stars. Patrick Mahomes runs a sports-and-BBQ day in Kansas City, SEVENTEEN hosts a fan experience in Seoul, and Megan Thee Stallion anime-inspired Otaku Hottie Quest in LA.

Snigdha’s Views

• Brian Chesky admitted that Airbnb’s previous Experiences launch fell flat—under-promoted, poorly integrated. This time, he promised change. And it’s clear they’ve delivered.
• This time, Airbnb is backing the relaunch with serious ad spend: celebrity partnerships, creator-led Reels, and city-targeted campaigns.
• The Grand Adventure ad, along with Shorts for Tokyo and Mexico City, screams to connect with locals and do things you can’t Google. It’s host-led, offbeat, and deeply rooted in local culture.
• The Reels focus on shareability and relevance. These are not random influencers, they’re recognizable names. Each one offers something hands-on and skill-based, closely tied to the personality’s brand.
• This campaign signals a broader shift: Airbnb doesn’t just want to be where you sleep—it wants to be how you travel. It’s selling stories, skills, and emotional connection.
• Property managers should shift from listing features to telling a story, highlighting nearby experiences, local tips, and what makes a stay memorable, not just functional.

New Booking.com x NBA Deal Signals Big Push Into Sports-Driven Travel

• Booking.com is now the Official Online Travel Partner of the NBA and WNBA through a new multi-year deal. 
• The partnership began with the WNBA season on May 16 and will continue into the NBA’s 2025–26 season starting this October.
• As part of the deal, Booking.com will launch co-branded campaigns with both leagues, including game-day hotel deals and travel guides tied to away-game schedules. These promotions will be featured across league-owned media, arenas, and broadcasts throughout the season.
• The goal is clear: tap into sports-driven travel and connect with basketball fans making high-intent, time-sensitive booking decisions. 
• As Ben Harrell, Managing Director of Booking.com USA, said, the company sees this as a way to bring fans closer to the games they love.

Snigdha’s Views

• The global sports tourism market is expected to reach $2.14 trillion by 2030, and platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com are racing to capture that demand.
• Airbnb leaned into this with its 2024 Paris Olympics partnership. Now, Booking.com is doing the same with U.S. basketball, partnering with the NBA and WNBA to reach young fans with fixed travel dates and high urgency.
• With games broadcast in over 200 countries, the deal also gives Booking.com global exposure in fast-growing sports travel markets.
• Property managers near NBA or WNBA venues should plan ahead using game schedules, adjusting prices and minimum stays around key matchups.
• Listings should highlight arena proximity, group space, parking, and late check-in — all essentials for game-day travelers.
• These bookings aren’t one-offs. Fans return for playoffs, rivalries, and repeat matchups.

eviivo Adds PayPal Upgrade to Fix Checkout Drop-Offs and Boost Conversions

• Guests now have more ways to pay on direct booking sites using eviivo. The UK-based PMS has upgraded its PayPal integration to support Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal Wallet, credit and debit cards, and Buy Now Pay Later options like “Pay in 3” (UK) and “Pay in 4” (US).
• For guests, this means faster, more flexible checkouts; for property managers, it could reduce failed payments and improve the booking experience.
• The update also adds backend tools like real-time card updates, card vaulting, and fraud detection to make payments more reliable. 
• PayPal reports that businesses using these tools see a 62% average increase in completed transactions — a figure that could make a difference for direct booking conversions.

About eviivo:

eviivo is a UK-based property management system (PMS) designed for small hotels, B&Bs, and short-term rental operators. It offers an all-in-one platform that includes booking management, a direct booking engine, payment tools, and channel distribution. 

Snigdha’s Views

• Driving traffic to your direct site is hard, but losing a booking at checkout is worse. That’s where this eviivo update might help: by offering more payment options, and it can reduce the friction that often causes drop-offs.
• The backend upgrades matter too. Real-time card updates help avoid declines. Card vaulting supports things like deposits or partial payments. Fraud protection adds basic peace of mind.
• It won’t fix everything — this is a backend improvement, not a silver bullet. But for property managers already investing in direct bookings, it could quietly improve conversion where it counts most.