Airbnb offering stay in a real-life floating Up house – plus 10 other ‘extraordinary’ experiences

Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ house, the X-Men mansion, pop star performances and a spectacular Paris hideaway are all on offer

Defying gravity: Enjoy your very own ‘Up’ experience (with a little help from a crane) (Ryan Lowry)

Fans of Disney’s 2009 film Up have the chance to stay in the iconic house at the centre of the story – floating high above the ground under a mass of 8,000 balloons.

The listing on Airbnb even appears to have been posted by Carl Fredricksen, the fictional star of the animated classic. Up to four- people can stay for one night only.

But unlike the movie, the balloons aren’t doing the heavy lifting. Instead, the property is hoisted by a crane towering high above Abiquiu, New Mexico.

The inside of the ‘Up’ house has been painstakingly recreated (Ryan Lowry)

The extraordinary property is part of Airbnb’s new ‘Icons’ category, released this week and described by the company as experiences that take worlds you’ve only ever dreamed of and turn them into reality.

So far, 11 options have been unveiled.

As well as a gravity-defying stay in the Up house, guests can stay at Headquarters, the control centre of Riley’s emotions in the film Inside Out (ahead of the squeal’s release in June), where they’re able to see “emotions in action and help keep things in balance”.

Away from animated films, travellers can wake up in the Musée d’Orsay, with the Paris art museum’s iconic clock room transformed into a luxurious bedroom by Mathieu Lehanneur, designer of the Paris 2024 Games torch and cauldron. From the terrace, guests can witness the opening ceremony of the Olympics along the River Seine.

This could easily be the coolest spot to stay in Paris (Frederik Vercruysse)

In the US state of Minnesota, there’s an opportunity to relax in Prince’s Purple Rain house, which has never been open to the public before.

Airbnb have a history of bringing make-believe properties to life, having previously offered stays in Shrek’s swamp and Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse.

Two individual one-night stays were given to two guests in Ken’s bedroom inside Barbie’s dreamhouse on 21 and 22 July 2023. The one-night stays were free of charge “because Ken couldn’t figure out how to put a price on Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse”, Airbnb said at the time.

The new ‘Icons’ category doesn’t just include overnight stays.

There’s a chance to live like the X-Men in a recreation of Marvel Animation’s X-Mansion in Westchester, New York, with a promise to “discover your mutant abilities and even train in the Danger Room”.

This is the first time the public have been able to go inside the ‘Purple Rain’ house (Eric Ogden)

Elsewhere, join an intimate living room performance from Doja Cat, fresh from her world tour, or go VIP with comedian and actor Kevin Jart inside his members-only club for a tequila tasting and live stand-up.

“Icons take you inside worlds that only existed in your imagination – until now,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO.

“As life becomes increasingly digital, we’re focused on bringing more magic into the real world. With Icons, we’ve created the most extraordinary experiences on Earth.”

Most ‘Icons’ are free, and all are priced under $100(£80) per person. A countdown displays the time until each option goes live, and guests can request to book through the Airbnb app – those lucky enough to be selected will receive a digital ‘golden ticket’, and there are more than 4,000 available throughout 2024.