Genesee Country Museum to offer Airbnb ‘Experience’

The Genesee Country Village & Museum has launched a new Airbnb Experience in concert with Airbnb and Made By Us, a coalition of history and civics organizations nationwide.

Visitors will be able to book a special experience at GCVM that includes taking part in traditional crafts and tasks of the late harvest time as the “villagers” winterize their buildings and farms. Participants will have their pick of specialty, hand-crafted and locally produced goods to get ahead of holiday shopping.

A report from the American Alliance of Museums shows that more than three-quarters of museums had their operating income fall by an average of 40 percent during 2020, while their doors were closed to the public an average of 28 weeks due to the pandemic.

Museums largely have been unable to offset losses by cutting expenses. Some 61 percent reported that their net operating performance decreased by an average of 38 percent. Fifteen percent of museum directors believe there is a significant risk of permanent closure or they are unsure if their museum will survive the next six months without additional financial relief.

As guests return to cities, Airbnb and Made By Us partnered to curate a wish list of new Airbnb Experiences created by museums, theatres, archives and more nationwide. GCVM is one of seven such sites thus far.

“Historic sites and museums are the heartbeat of our cities, and as the keepers of our stories, they contain critical tools and information that we need to shape our future,” said Made By Us Managing Director Caroline Klibanoff in a statement. “By partnering with Airbnb, these Experiences offer entertainment, learning and deeper context for how we live today, igniting curiosity for guests and sustaining our institutions.”

Each participating organization will keep 100 percent of the proceeds from the Experiences.

“The Airbnb Host community has long supported cultural sites in their cities by sharing them with their guests. According to a recent survey, 20 percent of hosts recommend activities like museums to visitors,” said Bruce Vaughn, vice president of experiential creative product for Airbnb. “This new series of Experiences with Made By Us will build on that legacy by offering new ways for the Airbnb community to play a valuable role in the future of U.S. history institutions and preserving cultural cornerstones nationwide.”

The Genesee Country Village & Museum is a 19th-century living history museum covering more than 600 acres in Mumford. It is the state’s largest living history museum and prior to the pandemic hosted more than 90,000 visitors annually.

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