Airbnb’s Adapted Category Homes Bring the Fun To Accessible Travel

I’ve stayed in dozens of Airbnbs over the years, from a “barndominium” in Colorado to a chic, art-filled apartment overlooking Bogotá, Colombia, but never anything as unique or as affordable as the house on the that I stayed in the past. summer with my family.

We needed to get away from the house projects for a long weekend, and the “Tuscan Villa,” as the owners of the property in Wenatchee, Washington called it, fit the bill. It was one level and big enough for me, my wife, two kids and a dog, plus room for my parents to visit for a night.

Each entry was easy and step-free, even with my two-year-old daughter on my lap. There were not one, but two bathrooms with roll-in showers, and all the floors were concrete with no threshold. In fact, almost everything in the house was made of concrete, from the faux wood ceiling beams (yes, they looked like real wood), to the sinks, countertops, and even the Tuscan-style murals that adorned some of the walls. The place was quirky and fun, which was exactly what Airbnb had in mind when they launched their “Adapted” category in 2022.

Photo courtesy of the Airbnb community

East Side Tuscan Villa in East Wenatchee, Washington

“The Adapted category is designed to make it easier for people with mobility needs to find unique and cool homes, including treehouses, A-Frames, cabins, and more,” says Suzanne Edwards, Accessibility Standards Lead at Airbnb. “As a wheelchair user and frequent traveler, I know that accessible accommodation can often mean booking a functional but sterile place to stay. I am so excited that the Adapted category can help provide magical travel experiences for members of the disability community. I get inspired by exploring the category and have added many places to my personal travel bucket list.”

Homes in the Adapted category, which now has over 1,100 listings worldwide, provide a base of entry. Each accommodation must have step-free access to the guest entrance and step-free access to a bedroom and bathroom, and at least one accessibility feature in the bathroom, whether a roll-in shower, grab bar, or bench shower.

“We understand that everyone has different needs, so we want to provide detailed information about a home’s accessibility features to help guests determine if a listing will work for them,” Edwards says. “We have an amazing and welcoming community of hosts and encourage guests to contact the host if they have any questions about their home or neighborhood before booking.”

Photo courtesy of the Airbnb community

Guest entrance and parking.

My stay demonstrated how powerful that baseline can be. When my son ran out to the garage to play on the ping pong table, I was able to go outside and play with him. When I needed to go get a couple of forgotten ingredients for dinner, it was a solo mission. Everything seemed very normal and very comfortable, a strange feeling for a wheelchair user staying in someone else’s house.

Some homes in this category have these basic access features, others more extensive, such as roll-up sinks or roof lifts. The needs of every wheelchair user are different: what works for one may not be ideal for another. To that end, Airbnb provides photos of the accessibility features in each Adaptive category listing, along with door widths and a layout diagram. As a seasoned traveler, I’ve spent countless hours looking at photos of vacation rentals, trying to figure out if the bedroom was on the main floor or guessing if the bathroom door was wide enough to fit my manual wheelchair.

Looking at tailored category listings and having detailed, verified access information made the booking process easy and stress-free. When we arrived at the house, no surprises awaited us. I could go. I could use the bathroom. I could wake up and make my coffee. I could play with my kids and cook dinner with my wife. I never really had to think about access. We could just enjoy our vacation.

Photo courtesy of the Airbnb community

Entryway wider than 32 inches

There are very few fully accessible private homes in the US, and while the Adapted category has certain accessibility features, it is not always perfect. For example, in the Villa Toscana, the shower controls were too far from the bench for me to reach, and although the living room was huge, the couches were crammed together. I had to move one so I could transfer it and read Marvel books with my son. But compared to most of my vacation rental experiences (being carried up the steps to enter the front door or being carried to the second floor to go to bed), these were minor hiccups.

Airbnb in the Adapted categorylike the one my family stayed in, are some of the most unique you’ll find in the travel industry, like a biopassive villa in Spain or an urban garden oasis in Oregon.

Aside from “Accommodated” listings, there are still a wide range of listings with accessibility features around the world. Thanks to Airbnb Accessibility review, introduced in November 2021, guests have the added peace of mind that Airbnb agents review and confirm accessibility features added by hosts, such as step-free entrances, fixed grab bars, or bath or shower chairs. Guests can use 13 accessibility search features, such as “guest entrances over 32 inches wide,” “accessible parking spaces,” and more to find the right spot for them. To start planning your own magical, accessible travel experience, go to Adapted category on the Airbnb desktop site or mobile app.