Airbnb’s Free Gladiator Experience At The Colosseum Receives Local Backlash

Some Rome locals disapprove of Airbnb’s 2025 Colosseum experience, inspired by the box office release of ‘Gladiator II.’

The president of Rome’s Culture Commission, Erica Battaglia, worries that Airbnb’s Colosseum event doesn’t match the historical landmark‘s stature. Moreover, she believes the famous city site – visited by over 7 million a year – shouldn’t be exclusively opened for Airbnb’s selected gladiators.

“For what it represents, the Colosseum is a world heritage site. And one must go to the direction to protect it, but also to make it accessible to all and to prevent it from becoming a place of pranks for a select few,” argued Battaglia, according to CNN.

Airbnb’s Colosseum gladiator experience is the latest offering advertised in its “Icons” category. The Colosseum Archaeological Park, the landmark’s overseeing organization, approved the Roman warrior showdowns.

Airbnb claims that a part of the partnership includes its support…