Airbnb agrees trio of deals to bring the sharing economy to corporate travel

Three major travel management companies have agreed to bring the sharing economy to business travellers.

Three major travel management companies have agreed to bring the sharing economy to business travellers.

American Express Global Business Travel, BCD, and Carlson Wagonlit Travel will offer Airbnb accommodation as an option for the first time.

The new collaboration will give travel managers access to millions of additional accommodation choices around the world, while allowing the controls necessary in managed travel programmes, according to Airbnb.

Heralded as a “significant milestone” for Airbnb’s business travel arm, which has seen growth tripled this year, the deal follows the introduction of a dedicated business travel booking tool.

Carlson Wagonlit corporate travel managers will be able to offer more options and flexibility to travellers, providing highly personalised itineraries.

There are nearly 500,000 hotels available through CWT and Airbnb for Business doubles that number.

Research by the CWT Solutions Group shows business travellers stay an average of seven nights in Airbnb accommodation, twice as long as stays in traditional hotels. The research also found that companies can save up to 37% using Airbnb in the right circumstances.

Airbnb for Business will be integrated as a preferred supplier among American Express Global Business Travel customers.

Business travellers will be able to book accommodations directly on Airbnb.com using a corporate email address. The first phase of the partnership is expected to go live in the coming weeks and will expand to additional markets later this year.

BCD Travel is working with Airbnb for Business to provide corporate travel clients with rich data in a new security and risk management offering that can track the location and trip patterns of business travellers who book Airbnb listings.

Airbnb’s data will be integrated into BCD Travel’s proprietary DecisionSource business intelligence and security solution, allowing clients to interact with maps and detailed reports in real-time and bring Airbnb accommodation bookings into view for managed travel.