Airbnb highlights shared stays in new campaign with Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna
CE DESK 
Airbnb has launched a new India campaign featuring Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna, using a warm, story-led film to showcase how shared stays are becoming a bigger part of modern travel. Set in Koh Samui, Thailand, the ad follows the duo during a private villa getaway and shifts attention away from a typical destination ad toward moments of togetherness, comfort and ease.
The campaign’s main message is that travel today is not only about where people go, but also about how they stay and who they experience it with. Instead of presenting a formal luxury break, Airbnb frames the stay as a lived-in, relaxed experience where guests can spend time in one shared space with friends and family. The film uses simple scenes such as shared meals, pool time, indoor lounging and casual conversations to underline the appeal of a private home-style stay over a conventional hotel setup.
This push also ties into a wider travel trend. Airbnb says nearly 40% of summer searches by Indian travellers are now for group stays, showing a rising preference for trips built around shared experiences rather than isolated bookings. The campaign taps into that shift by spotlighting “buddymoons” and celebration travel, where couples extend special occasions with their close circle instead of choosing only a traditional honeymoon format.
For Airbnb, the film helps strengthen its pitch in India as a platform for more personal, flexible and socially connected travel. By pairing two major film stars with a villa designed around common spaces and indoor-outdoor living, the brand turns the property itself into a central character in the story. The result is a campaign that sells not just accommodation, but a more intimate and shareable way to travel.
