Airbnb’s New Icons Category Has Some Of The Coolest Accommodations Yet

Movies and TV shows are just as memorable as the settings they inspired. Just when we thought animation homes were far-fetched beyond the realms of reality, Airbnb proved us wrong yet again with its new Icons category, which has made homes like the balloon house from Up! and the X-Mansion from X-Men a dream come true.

While the online homestay marketplace is most typically associated with offering unique alternatives to conventional hotel accommodations, they have most recently also made a point of introducing a slew of other bespoke hospitality experiences that tap into pop culture. This was especially true in 2023 when Airbnb offered a lucky few the opportunity to play house in a life-sized Barbie Dreamhouse in Malibu, California.

Airbnb’s new Icons category: Stay in the balloon house from Up!, train at the X-Mansion & more

With no intentions of resting on laurels, the company is now looking to introduce not one, not two, but a total of 11 new themed accommodations as part of its latest ‘Icons’ campaign for 2024. Turning make-believe worlds into tangible reality, these latest clutch of bespoke abodes span all manner of touchstones from across music, television, film, art, sport, and more.

Most notably, this year’s fictitious sanctums on Airbnb’s Icons category include stays in the iconic balloon house from the animated blockbuster Up! (which actually does float, with help from over 8,000 balloons and a crane), a re-creation of the X-Mansion which served as the backdrop for the 1997 X-Men ’97 animated series complete with the famous Danger Room proving grounds, and even the emotionally charged control node of Headquarters from the Inside Out movie.

These join a lineup of other equally intriguing adventures that include:

• Spending a night at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy.
• Enjoying an exclusive VIP evening with Kevin Hart inside the members-only Coramino Live Lounge.
• Checking into the Musée d’Orsay and witnessing the historic Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games along the River Seine.
• Joining Doja Cat for an unforgettable living room live performance.
• Staying over in late rock legend Prince’s Purple Rain house and enjoying rare tracks in the recording studio.
• Facing off with TikTok sensation Khaby Lame in a Fortnite Battle Royale in a gaming loft he designed from the ground up.
• Joining Colombian singer Feid on his FERXXOCALIPSIS World Tour for an entire week and spend time backstage with his crew, while travelling on their tour bus.
• Visiting the never-before-seen family home of Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor in Chennai, India.

With that said, the real trick here is securing your spot for any of these unique stays. Available in a separate category on the Airbnb app, countdown timers on each experience indicate when they will go live. The moment they do, interested users may submit a request and enrol in the campaign’s virtual raffle system, where around 4,000 lucky people will be offered a Golden Ticket for admission into an attraction of their choice.

Most of these experiences can be enjoyed for free, but some will require a fee of no more than USD 100 (HKD 781).

For more information or terms and conditions, simply pop into the Airbnb app on your phone, now available on the Apple App Store and the Android Play Store.

Shop the best travel experiences here.

This story first appeared here.

All currency conversions were done at the time of writing. 

Related: Gwyneth Paltrow’s House Is Listed On Airbnb. Seriously.