New Airbnb Partnership Lets Travelers Work From Nearest WeWork Office
Airbnb, the world's leader in private home rentals, has partnered with WeWork, the world's leader in shared work spaces, to make it easier for business travelers to book lodging and business accommodations with a click of the mouse.
Back in 2015, Airbnb launched Airbnb for Business, a product suite that made it easier for companies to book vacation rentals, giving them access to a range of features that support business trips. Today, the company launched a partnership with WeWork in an effort to expand this rapidly growing venture. We spoke with representatives from both companies to better understand how this will work; both parties said the partnership makes a lot of sense based on their mutual missions of encouraging community and collaboration among members.
The pilot program will be introduced in six cities beginning October 5: New York, Chicago, London, Sydney, Washington, DC and Los Angeles. When guests complete checkout via Airbnb in a city where the program is offered, they will be shown an option to book a WeWork space as well. Airbnb guests who participate in the pilot program will receive a free day at a WeWork space, one free hour of conference room use and discounted pricing for each additional day. Participants in the program will be matched with the closest WeWork location to their Airbnb. It should also be noted that according to Airbnb, this is a promotion via WeWork and is not bundled into the cost of an Airbnb booking.
There are no plans to expand yet but both companies — who seem to be targeting younger consumers — want the new venture to provide travelers with amenities similar to those found in hotel business centers: Wi-Fi, workspace, printers and meeting rooms. Airbnb is valued at $31 billion and WeWork is valued at $20 billion; according to Bloomberg, Airbnb expects corporate travel to quadruple this year alone. That said, Airbnb could face issues if corporate executives aren't willing to forgo hotel amenities in favor of workspace perks such as this.
Does this perk appeal to you? Let us know in the comments, below.
H/T: Bloomberg
