Airbnb can feel like an enchanting, endless labyrinth, but for every home there is a host, and for every host there is a guest score.
This year, the incredible homes and the people who tend them have been recognised as part of the platform’s first-ever Host Awards, judged by a panel that included interior designer Shelley Ferguson and Superhost Merrydith Callegari, who sits on Airbnb’s global Host Advisory Board.
Looking for award-winning recommendations for when we can safely sojourn? Stay at Studio Seventy-Four, an art studio turned ridgetop retreat in Wellington, awarded Best Designed Stay, complete with an outdoor bath and timber milled from a local farm a “flawlessly planned” space, said Ferguson, by a family of creatives.
Take a trip to the Best Regional Stay, a tiny off-the-grid home at the base of Taranaki, with sweeping mountain views and an equally small environmental footprint (think solar panels, hydro turbines and a structure made entirely from recycled materials) on a 10-acre farm that boasts on-lake kayaking and a glow worm-lit boardwalk.
Or perhaps while away a weekend at Best Unique Stay winner Away Treehouse’s haven above the forest canopy on Waiheke Island, where host Sue, a qualified massage therapist, offers wellness treatments for those seeking respite.
Alternatively, join Queenstown artist Jessica Winchcombe, whose three-hour hands-on jewellery workshop, where guests learn to design and create a piece of silver artistry, was awarded Most Magical Experience, or enjoy the hospitality of Host of the Year Angela Cossey at her Christchurch home, where guests are offered complimentary coffee cards to explore nearby cafes.
Find the full list of award finalists at Airbnb.com/hostawardsnz
