Airbnb is looking to gain a greater presence in the corporate travel space via T&E company Concur. Reports Thursday (July 13) said Airbnb is expanding its existing partnership with Concur by allowing users of the corporate travel and expense management solution to book Airbnb accommodations from directly within the platform. The integration means travelers will be able to search for Airbnb listings from within Concur Travel and book via Concur as well, a move that the companies said aims to boost flexibility for corporate travelers seeking an alternative to traditional lodging and accommodations while still maintaining compliance with corporate policy. The feature will roll out to Concur users in the coming months, the companies added. According to Airbnb, the number of corporate travelers using its services has increased by 33 percent year-over-year in Q2 2017. More than 250,000 companies have seen their employees use Airbnb for corporate use, it added. “Our customers want to give their employees the ability to take advantage of Airbnb lodging, but within the framework and controls of their existing travel program,” explained Concur Chief Product Officer Tim MacDonald in a statement. “We partnered with Airbnb to do exactly that. First with TripLink and now with Concur Travel integration, we are providing the control and visibility our customers require while helping travel managers fulfill their duty of care needs.” “The lines between business and leisure travel are blurring, with more and more of us combining business trips with weekend stays,” said Airbnb global head of business travel David Holyoke in another statement. “Travelers often want to get out and absorb the culture of a city when they’re traveling for business, while travel managers need visibility into employee spend and whereabouts to support corporate policy and duty of care programs. “We’re excited to expand that opportunity through our partnership with Concur’s industry-leading solutions to make Airbnb for business travel easier to book,” he added.
Airbnb is set to expand its partnership with Concur by enabling the travel and expense management company's customers to rent Airbnb properties within the Concur booking platform, according to a statement by Concur. The feature, which will be introduced in the coming months, is targeted at offering increased flexibility and compliance for corporate travellers. Airbnb said the numbers of corporate users rose by about a third year-over-year in Q2 2017. "The lines between business and leisure travel are blurring, with more and more of us combining business trips with weekend stays,” said David Holyoke, Airbnb global head of business travel.