Check-In to the Trend: Spooky Experiences Bring Guests’ Thrills to Life

As travelers get into the Halloween spirit, they are also bringing their thrills to life through haunted stays and Airbnb Experiences. In fact, more than 9,000 guests have stayed in haunted homes in the past year*, and spooky Experience bookings have gone up 174 percent since 2018**.  As it turns out, female thrill-seekers are the ones booking them the most***, and I now officially include myself among them.

And, our guests have spoken — there truly is something about October that encourages more travelers to face their more eerie fears and perhaps even put their courage to the test. Last year, guests booked more spooky Experiences and stays in October than any other month — bookings spiked by a whopping 169 percent compared to June****. 

To see why paranormal encounters are such a draw to travelers, I ventured to Pam and Steve’s civil-war era house outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where guests report ghostly sightings of a former homeowner, as well as a black cat roaming the grounds. If you’re ready to face your fears, you can check out their home and other spooky Experiences on Airbnb:

Stay tuned for next month’s Check-In to the Trend.

*Based on Airbnb internal data of guest arrivals to homes including keywords (haunted, spooky, paranormal, etc.) from September 2018 – September 2019.

**Based on Airbnb internal data of year-over-year growth of bookings of Experiences including keywords (haunted, spooky, paranormal, etc.) from September 2018 to September 2019.

***Based on Airbnb internal data of guest arrivals to and bookings of homes and Experiences including keywords (haunted, spooky, paranormal, etc.) based on gender from September 2018 to September 2019.

****Based on Airbnb internal data of guest arrivals to and bookings of homes and Experiences including keywords (haunted, spooky, paranormal, etc.) from June 2018 to October 2018.

The Airbnb Newsroom is aimed at journalists. All Homes and Experiences referenced on the Airbnb Newsroom are intended purely to inspire and illustrate. Airbnb does not recommend or endorse specific Home or Experience listings on the Airbnb platform.