Airbnb: the new gold mine for business travel

If you travel often for work, you are likely familiar with these issues: wasting time making reservations, being unable to find a hotel that fits your schedule, or worse, arriving to find the accommodation has no Wi-Fi... The list goes on. If this sounds familiar, you might want to take a look at Airbnb's offerings! Airbnb needs no introduction as the leading short-term rental platform. Since its creation in 2008, the American firm has helped millions of tourists feel at home. But did you know that more and more professionals are using the platform when booking business trips?

‍

An offering tailored to professionals

Airbnb quickly recognized the significant demand for business travel. This is why, in recent years, we have seen the emergence of offerings specifically designed for business travelers who have certain expectations and specific needs. That is why Airbnb created a "label" to identify certain available properties: the Business Travel Ready label, indicated by this symbol next to the listing:

‍

This label certifies a certain level of quality. First, in terms of hospitality, as the host must have received at least 3 positive reviews, and commitment, as they cannot cancel the reservation within 7 days of check-in. Above all, you are guaranteed to have at least the most important amenities, such as:‍

Wi-Fi A workspace for a laptop Self check-in (e.g., a secure lockbox, concierge, digital or smart lock) A smoke detector A carbon monoxide detector Basic essentials (toilet paper, clean towels, and linens) An iron Hangers A hairdryer Shampoo‍
• 
  

As you can see, everything is done to build the traveler's confidence and allow them to work with peace of mind.

‍

Increasingly numerous partnerships

‍To simplify the process, the American platform now allows company managers to create a professional account that is separate from the standard traveler account. The benefits are numerous, including the ability to better monitor various trips through a single interface. This is particularly useful if you are in charge of travel for all your company's employees.

‍

Furthermore, Airbnb provides a feature to automatically and directly bill your company. This is very convenient, as you would usually have to request this manually from the host! Finally, Airbnb provides companies that have subscribed to the service with a 24/7 support line! Success was immediate; according to a Bloomberg study, more than 250,000 of the largest firms (Google, Salesforce, PayPal, etc.) have trusted the platform for their employees' stays. A figure all the more surprising given that in 2015, there were only 250 companies!