Amex and Airbnb Announce Agreement for Business Travellers

AMERICAN EXPRESS Global Business Travel (GBT) announced a commercial agreement with Airbnb, the world's leading community-driven hospitality company. The new referral partnership will make Airbnb for Business more accessible to GBT customers and allow data transfer and traveler tracking.

Since being founded in 2008, Airbnb hosts have welcomed more than 100 million guest arrivals at Airbnb listings worldwide. Approximately 10 percent of all travelers on Airbnb for Business are business travelers. This trend is largely driven by travelers seeking accommodations that allow them to experience cities and neighborhoods they visit.

During the first phase of the program, once GBT refers a customer to Airbnb, individual travelers can book accommodations directly on Airbnb.com using a corporate email address. In the coming weeks, GBT and Airbnb will integrate Airbnb booking information into GBT’s reporting platform so that GBT’s customers can easily track their travelers’ Airbnb bookings. Once that integration is complete, the reservation details for each business trip will automatically be shared with GBT. Travel managers can then access the data through corporate reporting and duty of care platforms. Travelers will then be able to access that booking information through GBT’s corporate reporting and duty of care platforms. Travelers will also have the ability to view their booking details in their regular corporate itineraries and on mobile devices.

“Business travelers want the freedom to choose accommodations that align with their personal and professional tastes,” said Wes Bergstrom, Vice President, Global Supplier Relations, American Express Global Business Travel. “At the same time, traveler safety and security are a top priority for companies. As the first travel management company (TMC) to partner with Airbnb, our customers can further evolve their travel policies and offer their travelers the ability to book preferred accommodations.”

“We are excited to be working with one of the leaders in the travel management space, and look forward to helping business travelers 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 travelers 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 is expected to go live in the U.S. in the next few weeks, and to expand to additional countries later this year. GBT and Airbnb will continue to develop additional phases of this program, which will enable greater integration throughout the booking process.