Remember when Airbnb built a tangible version of Shrek’s swamp home and Barbie’s Malibu Dream House? The vacation company is carving out a niche in uber-bespoke experiences with its Icons series, and a superhero sanctum is next on the itinerary.
Thanks to the animated X-Men ‘97, the mutant superteam is enjoying a well-deserved comeback. To capitalize on their resurgent popularity, Airbnb has converted a Newcastle mansion into a replica of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The X-Mansion features Professor X’s office, Beast’s lab, and even the X-Men’s War Room, complete with a “working” Cerebro helmet. It’s all rendered in a 2D-3D hybrid so uncanny that initial images looked AI-generated, but Airbnb’s latest listing is 100% functional and will open its doors to X-fans this June.
Airbnb’s X-Men experience is hosted by Jubilee herself, and features an exact replica of her room.
The X-Mansion experience — hosted by Jubilee on the Airbnb site — costs $97 per person and allows eight guests to sleep in four bedrooms. An overnight stay includes:
- A student orientation with Jubilee
- X-Men training in the War Room with professional stunt coordinators
- A crash course in potion creation in Beast’s lab
- A session with Cerebro, which will identify guests’ mutant powers
- An official diploma and class photo
- Gambit’s beignets for breakfast
Like previous Icon listings, the X-Mansion is only available for a limited time. Through May 14, potential guests can request a one-night stay; Airbnb will then randomly select guests to book their visit at Xavier’s school. The experience runs from June 4 through 16.
The X-Mansion is limited to a random selection of guests, but it’s not the only animated recreation coming this summer.
Each of Airbnb’s Icon experiences are essentially sweepstakes, which limits chances to book a stay. That said, the effort the company is putting into recreating such unique worlds is a delight in itself. It took a lot to bring the X-Mansion’s animated look into the real world; each prop, for example, had to be painted by hand.
If that doesn’t impress you, you can also try your luck with Airbnb’s recreation of the house from Pixar’s Up, which is free if you win the booking lottery. Apparently Professor X lacks Carl Fredricksen’s sense of generosity.
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