The mansion, sitting atop a hill in Westchester County, New York, could be mistaken for any number of homes in the area, save for one little, er, big, thing.
In the driveway, feet from the front door, there is the battered severed head of a giant Sentinel, one of the antagonists to the X-Men.
The house, overlooking rolling hills north of New York City, was until recently a residential home. For a few months however, Airbnb is taking it over, turning the home into a recreation of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, as featured specifically in the Marvel Animation series X-Men ’97.
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That includes an interior that has been meticulously hand-painted so as to appear two-dimensional, as in the cartoon, with the bedrooms, Professor X’s office, Beast’s lab, and even a “danger room” available for guests to explore.
The X-Men mansion is part of a new effort by Airbnb, one that will embrace pop culture to offer its users the ability to stay in iconic properties, both real and fictional. It’s an effort the company is calling “Icons.”
“The name Airbnb is a noun and a verb used all over the world, that’s a good thing, that means everyone knows it. But the downside is kind of like Kleenex or Xerox, it’s associated with one thing, and we want to do more things,” says Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “We want to be in the business not just of places to stay, but experiences and more. And so I think this is a gateway for us to offer more types of services and more types of offerings, and really just do something I think that brings magic in the world and attaches us to some of the biggest icons in culture.”
And while some companies would be fine going halfway, Airbnb is not pulling any punches. To whit: Carl’s house from the Pixar film Up, which was recreated room by room, and which can actually be suspended in the air by a crane.
“I think it’s about the details. You know Walt Disney used to talk about the details,” Chesky says. “Walt Disney also said if you can dream it, you can do it and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.”
The idea for Icons actually started … with Ikea, and a chance shopping excursion about a decade ago.
“One day we had to go to Ikea to go furniture shopping, and we were walking past this bedroom showroom, and we thought to ourselves, wouldn’t it be kind of funny if we put that on Airbnb?” Chesky recalls. “And we said it as a joke, but then we ended up doing it, and it went completely viral.”
The company would go on to do other one-offs, like the Barbie Dreamhouse, or the home from Home Alone.
“It captured people’s imagination. And we started realizing, what if this wasn’t just a one off program?” Chesky says. “What if we made this a whole product on Airbnb? What if we gave it its own category right in the homepage? and gave it the same level of seriousness and treatment that we treat the rest of the product? What if we do that more frequently, make the builds even more fantastic, and just make an ongoing commitment to doing this?”
Many of the Airbnb icons will offer exclusive experiences to go along with the stay. Guests who stay in Prince’s Purple Rain house will be able to listen to rare and special from the musician; while a stay at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy includes a lap around a track with a professional driver. One experience will see a guest joining Kevin Hart for an evening at his members-only Coramino Live Lounge; and another includes a private living room performance from Doja Cat.
Inside the X-Men mansion in Westchester, overnight guests will experience a multi-hour tour hosted by a team of actors portraying X-Men in training, including some unique cocktail-making in Beast’s lab, and combat training from a stunt man in the danger room. Each of the bedrooms is themed to different X-Men, with little details true to the character (Wolverine’s alarm clock has claw marks, for example).
Airbnb’s Icons program also has two other fictional locations from Disney films in the works: The home from Up (it will be located in New Mexico), and a recreation of the Control Room from Inside Out, meant to debut ahead of that film’s sequel this summer.
“We’re just trying to capture a decent cross section of pop culture. But I’m particularly excited about the extremes, either these imaginary worlds that no one has ever tried to bring to life before, or these things that are real, but you never could get access to before,” Chesky says. “Most people don’t just hang out with Kevin Hart and get a 30 person comedy show from Kevin — he does like stadiums, you know — so we like bringing our imagination to life and being able to give you access to something that’s real, but that you’ve never had access to before.”
Airbnb will have 11 Icons at launch, and is promising to refresh it with new offerings throughout the year. Most will be free and first-come, first-serve, but even the ones with a fee will cost under $100 per person, per night (the X-Men mansion, for example, will be $97, but includes the overnight stay, the X-Men training experience, dinner, and breakfast).
You can see the full list of Icons experiences, as well as photos, below.
Drift off in the Up house – Sleep inside one of Disney and Pixar’s most iconic homes—and yes, it floats. You’ll explore Carl’s world in this detailed re-creation of his home, complete with more than 8,000 balloons, and located in the scenic red rocks of Abiquiu, New Mexico.
Spend the night in the Ferrari Museum – Immerse yourself in the world of racing with a stay at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy. You’ll sleep on a bed crafted from the same leather as Ferrari seats, take a lap with Scuderia Ferrari ambassador driver Marc Gené, and head to Emilia-Romagna’s premier race as a VIP.
Step into X-Men ‘97 – Live like the X-Men as you stay in a 2D animated re-creation of Marvel Animation’s X-Mansion in Westchester, New York. You’ll discover your mutant abilities and even train in the Danger Room.
Go VIP with Kevin Hart – Kevin Hart is taking you inside his members-only Coramino Live Lounge for an A-list evening. You’ll join Kevin and his friends in this secret speakeasy, where they’ll treat you to a tequila tasting and live stand-up by the best comedians in the game.
Wake up in the Musée d’Orsay – Stay in the Paris art museum’s iconic clock room, which has been transformed into a luxurious bedroom by Mathieu Lehanneur, designer of the Paris 2024 Games torch and cauldron. From the terrace, you’ll witness the historic Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games along the River Seine.
Join a living room session with Doja Cat – Fresh off a tour performing on the world’s biggest stages, Doja is hosting you for a much more intimate experience. You’ll enjoy an unforgettable living room performance from the Grammy-winning artist, including her favorite songs and tracks from her latest album.
Stay in Prince’s Purple Rain house – Prince purchased the Minneapolis, Minnesota home featured in the legendary film Purple Rain, but it’s never been available to the public until now. Explore the home and go crazy for rare and special tracks from Prince’s world in an exclusive studio session.
Game with Khaby Lame – TikTok sensation Khaby Lame invites you to his hometown of Milan, Italy for an epic, overnight gaming experience. You’ll stay in a one-of-a-kind gaming loft that Khaby designed himself, where you’ll #learnfromkhaby and face off with him in a Fortnite Battle Royale.
Go on tour with Feid – Join the reggaeton superstar on his FERXXOCALIPSIS World Tour for an entire week. You’ll join the crew for rehearsals, ride along on the tour bus, and get backstage access for every show.
Live like Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor – Janhvi Kapoor is inviting you into the legendary, never-before-seen Kapoor family home in Chennai, India. From learning her Bollywood beauty secrets to tasting her favorite southern Indian dishes, Janhvi will host you personally on this ultimate overnight stay.
Make core memories with Inside Out 2 – In anticipation of the June 14 release of Disney and Pixar’s new movie Inside Out 2, you’re invited to an overnight stay at Headquarters, the control center of Riley’s emotions. Your host, Joy, will welcome you into her vibrant world to witness the emotions in action and help keep things in balance.
