Airbnb is looking for craziest houses and will pay $10 mn for it

Quick question: on your next holiday would you like to stay in a regular run-of-the-mill hotel or would you prefer to spend the night in a house that looks like a UFO, or how about a 6-tonne potato? Airbnb is betting on the latter. It is on the hunt for the world’s craziest spaces and if you have an idea it will fund you to build it.  

Airbnb has launched the first-of-its-kind $10 million fund and is seeking ideas from existing and aspiring designers, architects, DIYers from around the globe to build some outlandish places to stay. 

The fund's $10 million will help finance 100 of the craziest ideas, giving 100 people an opportunity to turn them into actual Airbnb OMG! Category listings -- Airbnb’s collection of the most unique homes. Ideas will be judged by an expert panel for their originality, feasibility, the experience the space will provide guests, and sustainability.  Starting today, anyone with an out-of-this-world idea can submit an application at airbnb.com/omgfund. 

A growing trend of flexible living has emerged in the past two years. As part of this shift, Airbnb guests are craving more unexpected spaces that become destinations themselves. Airbnb Categories, which was launched just last month, provides a new way to search for these unique spaces. More than 30,000 listings across the world were added to Airbnb in 2021 and the OMG! Category -- which has been viewed 2.5M times -- showcases the craziest amongst them, making it easy for guests to discover these listings in places they wouldn't have otherwise looked.  

In 2021, unique hosts income in India increased by around 45 per cent as compared to 2019. Additionally, nights booked at unique properties increased globally by over 49 per cent from 2019 to 2021.  

So, if you want to build a tree house or maybe an underwater room or even a giant-sized boot, do apply. If your idea is eccentric and sustainable enough you may just get $100,000 to build it. The $10 million OMG! Fund opens today for a period of 30 days, through July 22. The 100 fund recipients will be selected by the panel over the next several months, with the intent of having their newly-constructed spaces completed next year. 

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