Airbnb and flight centre travel group partner to boost business travel accommodation options
In an Australian and New Zealand first, Airbnb, the world’s leading community driven marketplace, has partnered with Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) corporate division to provide corporate customers with more options when travelling for business.
FCTG’s corporate brands, including Corporate Traveller, will have access to Airbnb for Business. The new accommodation offering will give FCTG’s corporate customers access to more than three million listings worldwide which will be available through the home-sharing platform.
Since its founding in 2008, Airbnb hosts have welcomed more than 180 million guest arrivals at Airbnb listings worldwide. Approximately 10 per cent of all travellers on Airbnb are business travellers and in 2016 the number of business trips on Airbnb tripled.
Through this partnership, FCTG’s corporate travel brands will have access to Airbnb’s third party booking tool. Additionally the Travel Manager and the traveller will be able to see trip details, make changes to the reservation and message the Airbnb host with questions about the listing.
Andrew Flannery, FCTG’s Executive General Manager of Corporate Travel, said the agreement would bolster the company's award-winning corporate travel offering.
"Customers' needs and preferences in the corporate travel sector are constantly evolving, and this agreement will deliver interesting new accommodation options that will appeal to sections of our customer base, particularly those who are looking to experience something a little different to a traditional hotel stay,” Mr Flannery said. "It will also benefit our corporate customers who are travelling to locations where there may currently be an under-supply of suitable hotel rooms.
“We are currently talking with a number of clients about the range of opportunities that Airbnb offers for travellers.”
David Holyoke, Global Director of Business Travel at Airbnb said, “We are thrilled to be working with FCTG’s corporate travel brands, in this sector of the travel industry, and look forward to helping Australian and New Zealand business travellers feel more at home while on the road.
“Airbnb for Business gives business travellers the ability to explore a city like a local, making it easy to travel for work without sacrificing the comforts of home.”