Airbnb announced a trio of noteworthy partnerships Tuesday.
The company's Airbnb for Business program has joined forces with American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), BCD Travel and Carlson Wagonlit Travel in a move that signals the first time travel management companies have added home-sharing accommodations to traditional corporate travel programs.
The partnership will assist travel managers in providing additional accommodation options for business travelers while at the same time improving safety and security.
In addition to providing customers with more choice when booking stays for business, the partnership will allow the companies to transfer important data and track customers in a time of crisis.
"The sharing economy offers new, innovative travel options for business travelers," said BCD Travel's vice president of Corporate Intelligence, Product Planning & Portfolio Management Torsten Kriedt in a statement. "However, in the event of a crisis, it's a company's legal and moral responsibility to ensure employees are safe no matter where they are."
[READMORE] READ MORE: Airbnb's Business Travel Program Growing in Popularity [/READMORE]
Airbnb said the first phase of the partnership with GBT is expected to launch in the U.S. in the coming weeks before expanding to other markets around the world later this year. Once live, GBT will direct customers to the San Francisco-based home-sharing platform where they'll be able to book directly using a corporate email address.
Airbnb for Business' partnership with BCD will provide corporate travel clients with a risk management offering that can track the location and trip patterns of business travelers who book through Airbnb.
By integrating Airbnb's data with BCD's security solution, clients will be able to view maps and detailed reports in real-time.
"By partnering with BCD Travel on this initiative we expect travel managers to gain better insights into the cost savings, comprehensive global inventory and flexible travel options that Airbnb offers to their travelers," Airbnb's Head of Global Payments and Business Development Lex Bayer said in a statement.
Meanwhile, by partnering with Airbnb for Business, Carlson Wagonlit's corporate travel managers will have approximately twice as many hotels to offer its travelers.
The new partnerships come at an excellent time for Airbnb's business program which has experienced tremendous growth of late, tripling its presence in the corporate travel space in the past year.
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