American Express Global Business Travel announces commercial agreement with Airbnb

FRANKFURT, Germany and SAN FRANCISCO, CA – American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) today announced a commercial agreement with Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company. The partnership will make Airbnb for Business more accessible to GBT customers and allow GBT to book accommodation on Airbnb for business travelers.

Since being founded in 2008, Airbnb hosts have welcomed more than 100 million guest arrivals worldwide. Approximately 10 per cent of all travellers on Airbnb for Business are business travellers. This trend is largely driven by those seeking accommodation that allows them to experience cities and neighborhoods they visit.

During the first phase of the programme, GBT and its customers can book directly on Airbnb.com. In the coming weeks, GBT and Airbnb will integrate Airbnb booking information into GBT’s reporting platform so customers can easily track travellers’ Airbnb bookings. Once the integration is complete, the reservation details for each business trip will automatically be shared with GBT. Travel managers access the data through corporate reporting and duty of care platforms. Travellers also access booking information through GBT’s corporate reporting and duty of care platforms, in addition to their regular corporate itineraries and on mobile devices.

“Business travellers want the freedom to choose accommodation that aligns with their personal and professional tastes,” said Wes Bergstrom, GBT’s Vice President, Global Supplier Relations. “At the same time, traveller safety and security are a top priority for companies. As the first travel management company (TMC) to partner with Airbnb, our customers can evolve their travel policies to offer travellers the ability to book preferred accommodation.”

“We are excited to be working with one of the leaders in the travel management space, and look forward to helping business travellers feel more at home while traveling on the road,” said Lex Bayer, Head of Global Payments and Business Travel at Airbnb. “Airbnb for Business gives business travellers access to more than two million homes around the world, and the ability to explore a city like a local, even if it’s just for one night.”

The first phase of this partnership will go live in the United States in the next few weeks, and expand to additional countries, including the UK, France and Germany, later this year. GBT and Airbnb will continue to develop additional phases of this program, which will enable greater integration throughout the booking process.