As someone who works for the federal government, it will be interesting to see how this capability evolves. As it is, major hotel chains have a 'government rate' that they offer for business travel, and I'm interested in seeing if AirBNB might allow something similar.
We've been explicitly barred from using AirBNB because it doesn't comply with FEMA fire standards or something like that. I.E. the hotels threw a fit when they realized they were potentially missing out on government travel dollars.
I'm honestly shocked that business travelers want to stay in AirBnBs. If I'm traveling for business usually I'm traveling to some major city and need to be near or in the downtown commercial area, in which case it almost always makes more sense to stay in a downtown hotel when possible. Also, when traveling for business in general you want to minimize the surface area of "travel surprises" and a chain hotel is a pretty safe bet most of the time.
The only time I've considered an Airbnb (and in those cases have only picked the ones that are basically professionally managed) is if the hotels are outrageously expensive for whatever reason.
As a frequent business traveler I’ve had great experiences with using Airbnb as an alternative to hotels. Getting a nice Airbnb just helps break up the business travel monotony. Every hotel room looks and feels the same, as we all know. Getting an Airbnb helps me ever so slightly to feel a little bit more at (a) home on business trips.
Yeah, I mean it's fine most of the time, but if something happens (e.g. a delay and you get there at midnight) I like knowing that 1) a hotel is going to be in a busy, well-lit area downtown 2) the lobby will be open and there's going to be someone there to help me and 3) there will probably be a restaurant or bar or something I can go to within the hotel to eat at if there's nothing else around. Again, it goes back to minimization of travel-related risk.
Personally there's nothing about staying at someone else's "home" that give me any feeling of being at my "home".
Who needs to feel at home on a business trip? At least hotels don't pretend. Airbnb is like the uncanny Valley of comfort. It's not home, it's not not home. And verrry heterogeneous.
It really depends. For a business week give me a hotel, I don’t want to deal with weird checkin or and odd setup. If I’m at a remote office for two weeks or more, I want a real kitchen and laundry.
Personally I use VRBO rather than Airbnb, but the idea is the same. Don’t know I as a business traveler need special things from a rental site, but it’s a market I won’t fault them for trying to get in on.
"I'm honestly shocked that business travelers want to stay in AirBnBs."
"it almost always makes more sense"
"most of the time"
"if the hotels are outrageously expensive for whatever reason."
I don't understand how you can be so shocked when you, yourself, already listed the reasons why people wouldn't want to stay at a hotel.
Because for all the time where it doesn't "almost always makes more sense".
I remember one time where I traveled to a big city for a couple of days and had the unfortunate experience to find out there was a big conference during the week and the prices of hotels have increased dramatically (making it non affordable for almost all human being)
Airbnb can be a superior offer in that case. You will not witness the same degree of price discrepancy between the price of airbnb room and a hotel room (a hotel room price can change to 4x its normal price in case of special event in a city).
> a hotel room price can change to 4x its normal price in case of special event in a city
Airbnb also encourage hosts to enable what they call Smart Pricing. The host define a min and max price and the algorithm autonomously determines a price based on supply/demand for similar listings and other parameters. The bracket can be very wide, on my listing they suggest min/max to be 35€ and 150€, while we actually rent the high season at 60€.
I guess in case of a specific event and all Airbnbs in the neighborhood are booked, you could also have a 4x multiplier sometimes.
As someone who travels almost every week for work, our company has a policy (as do many others to my knowledge), that prevents us from booking Airbnb's, regardless.
With that being said, something that makes Marriott/ Hyatt/ Hilton properties so popular with business travelers are their loyalty programs and the perks associated with top-tier memberships and hordes of virtual points which usually can be used to fund family vacations for the foreseeable future. I don't see Airbnb ever being able to be competitive in this sense.
I love Airbnb...for personal travel, where I don't want to stay in a hotel.
For work, I love that hotels don't rate me back (ugh!), always have shampoo, have consistent brands and expectations, are easy to access any time of day or night, afford lots of privacy, are close to downtown, easy to find, and usually have reasonable, if not great beds. Also, Airbnb don't have rewards.
Why someone would choose to stay in an Airbnb for a short stay for business really does boggle the mind. Can anyone else explain?
Hotels suck. They are just a room with a free water bottle and the same bland furniture. For the same price you can get a super nice house that has a pleasant atmosphere and feels like it is meant to have people living in it.
It is a bonus (for some people) if the owner is willing to give to tips or help make you feel closer to the city, rather than a disconnected visitor.
For sure they suck. But who has time to go shopping if you're in town for a day? Most people prefer room service (if busy) and breakfast the day after. I love Airbnb but just don't use it for business travel.
Hotels guarantee me an acceptable sleeping experience. With AirBnB, the quality of the mattress and bedding is inconsistent and sleep is of utmost important on business trips.
Being able to specifically see reviews for the mattress and bedding would be a game changer for considering AirBnB for work trips. I don't care how instagrammable a listing is if I don't get a good night of rest when I need to be up early in the morning.
If someone from AirBnB is reading this, please make it easier to find out about the quality of the sleeping experience.
Hotels are consistent. The most amazing Airbnb would beat a hotel room, sure, but even a well reviewed Airbnb can be terrible if something breaks, goes wrong, etc. Very few Airbnb owners have a spare property next door to move you to if things go wrong.
AirBnB reviews are useless, because they are reciprocal. Imagine how useful online restaurant reviews would be if the business was encouraged to review you back, and other restaurants could consult that review before allowing you to book a table.
Good point about not being rated back! For me, I like that AirBnB's are available in much more locations, and often at a lower cost. And for longer stays, it's nice having a kitchen which not all hotels have, and when they do you pay a hefty premium for it.
No thanks, if I've flown halfway across the world, then I don't want to be dealing with a temperamental Lockbox or a backdoor "concierge" whilst jet lagged.
I'll stick with my consistently boring Radisson or Holiday Inn.
I’ve had recent years where I’ve spent > 100 nights in hotels, but also I’m location independent so I’ve also spent some months in AirBnbs.
There’s a big difference between AirBnbs; some have a concierge and a kitchen, and some are just some guy’s spare room.
Being able to target ones that are corporate- or superhost-managed, definitely have decent WiFi and a good kitchen, will be a real plus if I’m looking for somewhere to stay for two months.
Biggest missing factor is the loyalty program, for sure, but I’m not sure how that would work outside just discounting; it’s not like there’s an exec lounge or free breakfast offer at an Airbnb
For those who want a GOOD AirBNB experience without the hassle, check out zeusliving.com.
They list on AirBNB as well as their own website, but the difference is they control their supply. Zeus is the host and maintain their properties themselves, not some random dude trying to make extra money renting out his converted garage.
Seriously, if you consistently travel longer than 30 days they'll change your life.
I'm the host of a house on AirBnB. At that location, we never get business travelers.
In fact, most people are large families or friends coming down for the weekend. They want to be in one area together instead of separated apart like one may be at a hotel. This would be one of the advantages of an AirBnB.
However, I don't see business travelers using this service all that often. Perhaps AirBnB will begin offering subsidized listings to entice more companies to opt for their listings.
If you host families your place must be dimensioned and priced as such. The lone business traveler will instead probably look to book a small studio or apartment. One bed, a kitchen, a desk/work area. Like a hotel room but with a proper kitchen.
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[ 4.6 ms ] story [ 82.4 ms ] threadMakes me wonder: would it make sense to unbundle some of them and to position them more clearly with a distinct brand?
The only time I've considered an Airbnb (and in those cases have only picked the ones that are basically professionally managed) is if the hotels are outrageously expensive for whatever reason.
Personally there's nothing about staying at someone else's "home" that give me any feeling of being at my "home".
Personally I use VRBO rather than Airbnb, but the idea is the same. Don’t know I as a business traveler need special things from a rental site, but it’s a market I won’t fault them for trying to get in on.
"it almost always makes more sense"
"most of the time"
"if the hotels are outrageously expensive for whatever reason."
I don't understand how you can be so shocked when you, yourself, already listed the reasons why people wouldn't want to stay at a hotel.
Because for all the time where it doesn't "almost always makes more sense".
I remember one time where I traveled to a big city for a couple of days and had the unfortunate experience to find out there was a big conference during the week and the prices of hotels have increased dramatically (making it non affordable for almost all human being)
Airbnb can be a superior offer in that case. You will not witness the same degree of price discrepancy between the price of airbnb room and a hotel room (a hotel room price can change to 4x its normal price in case of special event in a city).
Airbnb also encourage hosts to enable what they call Smart Pricing. The host define a min and max price and the algorithm autonomously determines a price based on supply/demand for similar listings and other parameters. The bracket can be very wide, on my listing they suggest min/max to be 35€ and 150€, while we actually rent the high season at 60€.
I guess in case of a specific event and all Airbnbs in the neighborhood are booked, you could also have a 4x multiplier sometimes.
With that being said, something that makes Marriott/ Hyatt/ Hilton properties so popular with business travelers are their loyalty programs and the perks associated with top-tier memberships and hordes of virtual points which usually can be used to fund family vacations for the foreseeable future. I don't see Airbnb ever being able to be competitive in this sense.
For work, I love that hotels don't rate me back (ugh!), always have shampoo, have consistent brands and expectations, are easy to access any time of day or night, afford lots of privacy, are close to downtown, easy to find, and usually have reasonable, if not great beds. Also, Airbnb don't have rewards.
Why someone would choose to stay in an Airbnb for a short stay for business really does boggle the mind. Can anyone else explain?
It is a bonus (for some people) if the owner is willing to give to tips or help make you feel closer to the city, rather than a disconnected visitor.
Being able to specifically see reviews for the mattress and bedding would be a game changer for considering AirBnB for work trips. I don't care how instagrammable a listing is if I don't get a good night of rest when I need to be up early in the morning.
If someone from AirBnB is reading this, please make it easier to find out about the quality of the sleeping experience.
I'll stick with my consistently boring Radisson or Holiday Inn.
There’s a big difference between AirBnbs; some have a concierge and a kitchen, and some are just some guy’s spare room.
Being able to target ones that are corporate- or superhost-managed, definitely have decent WiFi and a good kitchen, will be a real plus if I’m looking for somewhere to stay for two months.
Biggest missing factor is the loyalty program, for sure, but I’m not sure how that would work outside just discounting; it’s not like there’s an exec lounge or free breakfast offer at an Airbnb
In fact, most people are large families or friends coming down for the weekend. They want to be in one area together instead of separated apart like one may be at a hotel. This would be one of the advantages of an AirBnB.
However, I don't see business travelers using this service all that often. Perhaps AirBnB will begin offering subsidized listings to entice more companies to opt for their listings.