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?’”