Airbnb goes for corporate travelers and the heart of the hotel business – ElEspectador.com

Although it seems a no-brainer, Airbnb increasingly looks more like the hotel industry . In other words, competition between the two sectors is increasingly more closed an issue.

For many may be obvious fact, but the truth is that a part of the global hotel industry rests, rather than the occasional traveler on corporate, business personnel to be in constant motion.

Airbnb, on the other hand, and s perceived largely as a platform to find lodging for families, tourists a tighter budget or occasional travelers . The businessman is almost a direct synonymous with the big chains for a number of reasons. Loyalty programs with sensitive benefits for volume purchases and a set of rules and standards that resonate positively in the minds of companies

According to figures from the Global Association of Business Traveler , the corporate side travel is a market that, for 2017, is expected to reach US $ 300,000 million in the US alone.

for anyone was a surprise then that Airbnb continue solidifying its offer for the corporate sector through the portal Business , which launched in July 2014 and received a major update a year later ., July 2015

This week, the hosting platform sealed an alliance with three of the largest firms for bookings of corporate travelers: American Express Global Business Travel , BCD Travel and Carlson Wagonlit Travel . Reported revenues of these companies in 2015 totaled US $ 78,000 million; in some of these, over 90% of its business comes from hotel reservations for businesses. (Read “Uber, Airbnb: collaborative economy is growing, despite criticism”)

The current valuation Airbnb is US $ 25,000 million , US $ 1,400 million over Hilton closest competitor in this area . Of course, the valuations of private technology companies are usually not the most reliable of all data, because they are subject to much speculation in the market and to a lesser degree verification. But even with these considerations, the number continues to be an interesting indicator.

According to data Bank of America , the platform represents between 5% and 7% the hotels in the United States. Figures Airbnb ensure that the menso 10% of its reserves by corporate travelers are made.

The alliance with the signatures of reserves may be due to several trends in the corporate traveler, as he told The Economist Lex Bayer, head of the business sector on the platform : executives tend to spend more time on their stays Airbnb thanks to the proximity with people and contact with residential areas, instead of the usual isolation of a complex hotel and also are great deals for group travel, they allow a closeness between a computer may be working on a collaborative project.

the premise of having to stay in the same place with fellow work may scare many, but, according to the platform, corporate travelers tend to spend at least two nights in a quiet place on Airbnb than a traditional hotel.

last year, one of senior executives of the Hilton chain was not worried by competition with Airbnb because, in his view, the two companies are in different markets.

difference seems to be fading fast.