Traveling For Business? Consider Airbnb.

In 2015, the US alone spent over $290 billion dollars on business travel. With workers spending more and more time on the road, small businesses are looking for inexpensive ways to keep employees happy and comfortable while being away from home so frequently.

If you’re unfamiliar with the service, Airbnb is a service that connects property owners to potential guests looking for a higher level of comfort during their travels than hotels. With Airbnb, guests can usually find a place near popular tourist destinations without the high price tag of a traditional hotel. 

Though Airbnb got its start primarily for consumers, it has since expanding to offer more incentives for hosts to make their homes more accommodating for business travelers. If your employees spend a lot of time on the road, Airbnb could be a cost effective way to handle travel accommodations for your team.

Affordable, Convenient Billing.

Depending on your industry, your current travel plan for your employees may have them bouncing from hotel to hotel as they make their journey. In many of these cases, because of hotel security policies, the employee charges the room and is then reimbursed after submitting receipts. Obviously, this is a less than ideal situation and takes up time and resources to comb through receipts. With Airbnb for Business, your employees can easily charge the rooms directly to your small business account, eliminating the need for processing reimbursements later.

As an added perk, because your employees are now staying inside a home with a full kitchen, cooking meals is an option versus constantly dining out, saving you money on meal reimbursement as well.

Amenities.

Finding a hotel that has all the comforts of home is nearly impossible. Even extended stay hotels confine you to a small area and lack some of the essentials. If your employees are traveling for long durations, offering them the option of staying in a real home may ease the burden of work travel.

To be a host for Airbnb Business, the entire home must be available to the guest and must be a smoke and pet free environment. They also must provide Wi-Fi, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, a laptop friendly workspace, irons, hangers, hair dryers, shampoo, and other essentials. Additional amenities include 24 hour check in, cancelation policy that guarantees the host cannot cancel 7 days before the booking, and peace of mind knowing every host must receive high ratings and reviews, 60% of which must be 5 stars.

Location, Location, Location.

Business travel takes your team all around the world. Finding adequate accommodations for your team in the right location can be tricky. Not to mention finding a location near the workplace destination, or popular restaurants.  

Airbnb offers over 2 million listings available in over 190 countries, making it simple to find locations in nearly any part of town to ensure your employees are near the office. You can also find places more centralized around restaurants and entertainment to give your team a break after a hard days work.

Variety.

Whether you need an apartment for a short stay for one employee, or are planning group travel, with Airbnb can help you find the location that is right for your event. Now your team can help select homes that will give them the most familiar setting to help them stay in routine.

Because of their variety, Airbnb is also a great choice for company retreats as you can select large homes or villas with ample room to accommodate your team as well as give a great space for team building activities.

Airbnb for Business can offer your company a unique way to help break up the monotony of business travel for your employees. In many cases, it also saves money not only on the price per night, but also on parking and meal costs since cooking in home is an available option. Though extended stay hotels may offer some of the same amenities for the business traveler, they are usually more expensive and lack the comfortable approach of waking up in a full apartment/home.