Airbnb’s Christmas ad ‘Santastrophe’ roasts hotels
The festive special was developed by the brand’s in-house creative team and will run on TV, social media and cinemas.
Airbnb has made its stance on hotels unmistakably clear in its holiday ad, which features an exasperated Santa Claus. The animated short, narrated in the style of the poem ‘A Visit from St Nicholas,’ humorously highlights the challenges of staying in a hotel, as seen through the eyes of Saint Nick, who struggles to deliver gifts this year. From navigating the chaos of a busy lobby to dealing with packed elevators and identical-looking floors, Santa’s journey is anything but smooth.
The Airbnb creative team carefully mapped out these comedic obstacles, brainstorming dozens of scenarios - many of which didn’t make the final cut. In one early concept, Santa found himself stuck in an elevator as a mischievous child pressed every button. Frustrated, he pulled out his list and promptly moved the child, named Brian, from the “nice” column to “naughty.”
For eagle-eyed viewers, there is a ton of fun Easter eggs, too. If you look closely at Santa’s red suit, you can see that the gold stitching on his coat is all in the shape of the Belo, the Airbnb logo.
The ad will run on social, TV, and in cinemas starting November 28 in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Mexico and Brazil.