BridgeStreet Global Hospitality Group will make its serviced
apartments available through Airbnb’s recently launched corporate travel
portal, Airbnb for Business. Airbnb also will make its property listings
available to BridgeStreet clients. This is the first agreement inked between
Airbnb and a serviced apartment provider.
“BridgeStreet is a leader in the corporate housing and
serviced apartment sector, and we viewed Airbnb as a natural choice to link up
with as they have certainly helped redefine the travel industry,” said
BridgeStreet Global CEO Sean Worker. “We will strategically position our
services to Airbnb’s untapped corporate travel audience while we offer a
broader array of experiences to our client base. It’s incredibly intuitive.”
Airbnb launched its corporate travel portal, aimed at
providing visibility and billing tools to travel managers, in July. The company
reported in late August that 1,000 companies in more than 35 countries use
Airbnb in their travel programs. BridgeStreet Global’s portfolio is about
50,000 apartments in more than 60 countries.
“Long-term travelers want more than just access to a place
to lay their head. They want to get to know their city, neighborhood bookshop,
best place for coffee—live like a local, whether that means staying in a
Victorian home in San Francisco or a loft in Paris,” said Airbnb hospitality
head Chip Conley.
Speaking about the serviced apartment company’s philosophy
in July, BridgeStreet Global Americas director of sales Lucas Hewett said the
company tries to be flexible for its clients.
“What’s unique about BridgeStreet is we don't start with the
real estate and then try to find tenants to fill that real estate,” he said.
“We’re a hospitality company and our salespeople are consultative salespeople,
so they'll do a needs assessment, whether a client is going into RFP or not,
and say, 'If you could build your own program, what would it look like?’”
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Source: Business Travel News