Airbnb is turning leisure accommodations into big business. Vacationers from around the world have booked comfortable and satisfying stays at houses, condos and apartments that offer everything from basic beds to luxurious accommodations using Airbnb. There’s good news if you’ve ever wished that you could use this easy and fun method to book a place to stay when it’s time to hit the road for business reasons.
The popular peer-to-peer rental platform is turning its attention to business travelers in a big way. How does Airbnb plan to court business-minded people when it’s time to book trips? A new feature recently unveiled makes it easier than ever to find a home to stay at when you’re on the road for business.
A Look At Airbnb’s New Business Options
A new feature called Business Travel Ready (BTR) has just been rolled out at Airbnb. The way it works is that specific homes and apartments are designated as having features that are conducive to getting work done. This makes it easier for business travelers to find and book homes and apartments with work areas, desks, WiFi and flexible options for checking in and checking out.
These properties are also selected because they have better reviews than other homes listed on the platform. Hosts within the program are also prepared to deal with needs that are unique to business travelers during business stays. This ensures that business travelers can experience clean, comfortable and attractive settings that offer all the right touches for creating an enjoyable stay.
The high ratings of the homes listed under the BTR label help to ensure that business travelers won’t have to worry about dealing with unexpected shortcomings. The nice thing about using Airbnb for business stays is that entire teams can share spaces to create better environments for collaboration. Having a large home where a team can prepare for a presentation before an afternoon meeting or stay up all night churning out work before a product launch can make a big difference when it comes to efficiency and productivity.
There are already 150,000 BTR listings available globally right now. Finding a BTR property when browsing listings on Airbnb is very simple because those listings all feature a small briefcase icon.
Opportunities For Businesses To Book Easy Travel Accommodations
Airbnb is doing more than simply making it easier for individual business travelers to find work-friendly homes and apartments. The company has actually launched a complete platform that businesses can use to book travel for a large number of employees and keep track of reservations and expenses.
The Airbnb for Business program allows users to manage all stays for an entire company using a simple dashboard. Travelers have the ability to bill their stays directly to the companies they work for instead of using their personal credit cards.
Is Airbnb The Future Of Business Travel?
It’s going to be a while before business travelers commit to using options like Airbnb. Business travel only accounts for about 10 percent of all of Airbnb’s bookings right now. Many companies and businesses have arrangements with major hotel chains that make it hard to be tempted by the idea of trying something new. However, businesses looking to rent homes and apartments that create collaborative atmospheres for teams are sure to become early adopters of the peer-to-peer business lodging trend.
