We launched ‘Airbnb for Business’ in 2014 to make it easier to travel for work without sacrificing the comforts of home. Since then, we’ve seen significant changes in not only the way people travel for business but in the ways people get work done. To reflect these changes, we recently renamed our professional community as Airbnb for Work to better encompass the unique benefits only Airbnb can offer today’s modern workforce.
But, there’s much more to this story than a name change. Today, we’re sharing an update on the exponential growth in companies and employees using Airbnb for Work, highlighting new business travel trends, and announcing new tools and features for travellers and travel managers.
Nearly 700,000 companies using Airbnb for Work
A little more than a year ago, we revealed employees from more than 250,000 companies around the world had signed up to use Airbnb for Work. Today, that number has more than doubled — to date, nearly 700,000 companies have had employees sign up and book with Airbnb for Work. Of all these companies, more than 275,000 of them are directly engaged with Airbnb to help manage their travel.
As more and more companies come on board, we’re also seeing significant growth in bookings: from 2015 to 2016, Airbnb for Work bookings tripled. And, from 2016 to 2017 bookings again tripled.
700K
companies with employees who have booked with Airbnb for Work to date
3X
growth in bookings on Airbnb for Work from 2015 to 2016, and again for 2016 to 2017
The way people travel for work
In tandem with this growth, we’re seeing interesting trends in the way people travel for work with Airbnb:
- Bleisure (combining business trips with leisure stays) – we continue to see people tack on weekend days to explore the cities they’re traveling to. More than 30% of Airbnb for Work bookings in the past year include at least one weekend night.
- “Traditional” business trips – a year ago, the average trip on Airbnb was six nights or more; today, the average stay with Airbnb for Work is about five days, and the fastest growing segment of trips is three nights or less. Business travellers are increasingly using Airbnb for shorter trips, which they may have booked hotels for in the past.
- Collaboration – nearly 60 percent of Airbnb for Work trips in the last year had more than one guest. Of the 60 percent of Airbnb for Work trips with more than one guest, nearly 40 percent of had three or more guests. Teams are travelling together to bond and collaborate.
- Mobility – we’re seeing extended stays and relocations being booked on Airbnb for many different reasons and lengths of time — ranging from long business trips or training sessions that require several weeks away, to on-site projects that can last several months to a year. In the past year alone, we’ve seen stays with Airbnb for Work 14 days or longer grow nearly 3X.
30%
of Airbnb for Work bookings in the last year have included at least one weekend night
60%
of Airbnb for Work trips in the last year included more than one guest
Making global travel local
Geographically, Airbnb for Work travellers are touching every corner of the globe. In the past year, the top 10 Airbnb for Work destinations were:
- London
- Paris
- Los Angeles
- New York
- South Bay, CA (Silicon Valley)
- Toronto
- San Francisco
- Boston
- Sydney
- Washington, D.C.
We’re also seeing new business travel corridors (where people are coming from and where they’re traveling to) emerge. Top Airbnb for Work travel corridors over the past year include trips between:
- New York to Los Angeles, and vice-versa
- Melbourne to Sydney, and vice-versa
- London to Paris
- San Francisco to Los Angeles
- New York to Boston
Customer-driven
We’re fortunate to work with all types of companies, from global corporations to single freelancers. With companies directly engaged with Airbnb for Work to help manage their travel, in the last year, we’re seeing:
- Employees from large enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) making up 40% of our professional community.
- Employees from startups and SMBs (1-250 employees) making up nearly 40% of our professional community.
- Employees from mid-sized companies (251-5,000 employees) making up more than 20% of our professional community. What’s more, employees from mid-sized companies are the fastest-growing segment of travelers on Airbnb for Work.
Companies including Gap Inc., Facebook, Twitter and Columbia Sportswear Company use Airbnb for Work to offer their employees extra comfort and flexibility while on the road.
There are many times where our employees are travelling for varied periods of time, or to cities where there is high demand for lodging, like for a major conference or event. That’s why we are excited to be a new customer of Airbnb for Work so we can allow our employees more flexibility and new options that still provide comfort and amenities they need while working and travelling.
Jody Jannisse, Senior Director of Global Travel for Gap Inc.
Partner-focused
In addition to working directly with companies, we continue to drive momentum by working with industry partners, like SAP Concur. According to SAP Concur, Airbnb is an increasingly important supplier of accommodations for business travellers. So much so that the number of SAP Concur customers expensing Airbnb stays increased by 42 percent from 2016 to 2017, and includes 63 percent of SAP Concur’s Fortune 500 customers. Read about other trends SAP Concur is seeing here.
42%
increase in Airbnb stays expensed through SAP Concur in the last year
We previously shared our work with with SAP Concur to begin incorporating Airbnb listings into their search and booking tool. This integration will officially launch in the coming weeks, and will be the first time listings on Airbnb will appear within a corporate travel partner’s platform.
New tools for travel managers
In the coming week, we’ll introduce a new feature that helps companies streamline how their employees search for and book listings on Airbnb. Starting today we’ll expand testing of our Airbnb for Work HOMEpage, a customisable search that can account for specific company policies and use cases.
HOMEpage allows companies to provide their travellers:
- Customise search parameters by setting property types, nightly rate caps, and amenities that fit the company’s travel policy.
- Pre-filtered locations, highlighting top-rated listings near offices or most travelled-to destinations.
- Tips and reminders to help employees make the most of Airbnb for Work.
What’s next
It’s a privilege to continue helping companies and business travellers keep up with the ever evolving ways we work (and travel for work). In the coming weeks, we’ll share additional ways Airbnb for Work is helping professionals foster engagement, growth, and belonging—even at work.
To learn more about Airbnb for Work, visit airbnbforwork.com.