Major TMCs plug into Airbnb

GLOBAL heavyweights American
Express Global Business
Travel (GBT), BCD Travel,
and Carlson Wagonlit Travel have
partnered with Airbnb for Business
in an effort to provide corporate
travellers with more accommodation
options while maintaining certain
safety standards.
While the partnerships will initially
go live in the US, they are expected
to extend to other markets later in
the year. Airbnb says the impact on
the South African market has not
been determined as yet.
The integrations will be carried out
as follows:
Airbnb for Business will be
integrated as a preferred supplier
among GBT customers. The new
referral partnership will make Airbnb
for Business more accessible to
GBT customers and allow data
transfer and traveller tracking. Once
the first phase of integration is
complete, the reservation details for
each business trip will automatically
be shared with GBT.
Travel managers can then access
the data through corporate reporting
and duty of care platforms.
Travellers will then also be able to
access that booking information
through GBT’s corporate reporting
and duty-of-care platforms.
Airbnb’s data will also 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. The TMC is
also working with Airbnb 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.
By adding Airbnb for Business
to its offering, Carlson Wagonlit
corporate travel managers will now
be able to offer their travellers more
options and more flexibility, providing
a highly personalised itinerary.
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.