Colosseum controversy: Airbnb and ‘Gladiator II’ team up for battles in historic site

"Strength and honour!"... And deals with rental spaces.

Gladiator II, Ridley Scott’s return to the Colosseum sandpit is out in cinemas now. But for those who want more and need to fully embrace that Gladiator life, Airbnb have got you covered.  

A new experience from the rental space marketplace promises an authentic gladiator experience (without the murdering and all that), set in the actual Colosseum in Rome, Italy. 

"Those brave enough to rise to the challenge will follow in the footsteps once traversed by victorious fighters, suit up in historically accurate armor, and put their skills to the test to determine their fate in battle. May you emerge triumphant and establish yourself as the ultimate gladiator, earning your place in history," says the Airbnb listing. 

There are rules though. You can request to book one of two three-hour experiences that will take place on 7 and 8 May 2025. The experience will involve entering the Colosseum after dark, donning armor, watching a gladiator battle performance, then training as a gladiator before squaring off against the other participants.  

Don’t worry – a referee will oversee proceedings. No blood shall be shed.  

People can apply for the experience on 27 November – no costs involved - and the future gladiators will be chosen by lottery.

However fun this sounds, some visitors to the monument, as well as housing activists, are skeptical about the value of the $1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb, one which aims to promote “a more conscious tourism.”

Critics cite ongoing controversies in many cities over the role of short-term rental platforms in fueling overtourism and limiting affordable housing for residents and students.

Alfonsina Russo, the superintendent of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, characterized the sponsorship arrangement as one of the many deals to help finance projects at the park.

The Italian fashion brand Tod's, for example, has funded a multimillion renovation of the Roman monument, including a cleaning, replacing the locking system of arches with new gates and redoing the subterranean areas.

Alberto Campailla, the coordinator of the Nonna Roma nonprofit organization that focuses on housing and food for the poor, called the campaign with Airbnb “a disgrace,” and a form of “touristification.”

Airbnb and other platforms offering short-term rentals “are literally driving people out of not only the city center, but also the outskirts and suburban neighborhoods,” Campailla said.

Tourists from other European cities grappling with overtourism also took issue with the deal.

“It seems to me that the purpose of the Colosseum today is to be a tourist attraction, but not to create an amusement park within it,” said Jaime Montero, a tourist visiting from Madrid. “In the end, tourism eats the essence of the cities, here in Rome, as in other capitals.” 

Visiting from Naples, Salvatore Di Matteo saw the deal as “yet another takeover of the territory” by big companies.

"If they start to touch sacred monuments such as the Colosseum here in Rome, it is obviously something that should make us think and is, in any case, a bit worrying," he said.

Gladiator II is out now. In our review, we wrote: "While visually engaging, Gladiator II is a curiously hollow film that banks on big spectacle and small emotions, completely failing to step out of Gladiator’s shadow. Did Scott even want to? It shows that the director needed more than two decades to stick this landing. Either that or he should have left the original alone." Read our full review here.