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- Airbnb has a feature that lets you link your work e-mail address to your existing account.
- Visit the Airbnb Business Travel to search for business-ready rentals. In some cities, you can even get complimentary access to a nearby WeWork location.
- If you refer colleagues to Airbnb Business Travel, both you and they can get credits for a future trip.
Since Airbnb launched in summer 2008, the once-scrappy startup has grown from a casual home-sharing service whose goal was just "to make a few bucks," into a behemoth that perfectly embodies the phrase "disrupt," holding a $30 billion valuation that makes it worth more than the next most valuable hospitality brand.
With more than 4 million listings worldwide, the service lets people with spare rooms, extra space, or second homes list them for rental, and lets travelers find comfortable places to stay right in the middle of local and residential neighborhoods. Because you can often find Airbnbs in neighborhoods that otherwise lack hotels, Airbnbs are also a chance to explore off-the-beaten-path places, like the Shimokitazawa neighborhood in Tokyo. Even considering valid criticisms of the service's growth, it helps make travel more accessible and enjoyable for millions.
Of course, one big benefit to staying in an Airbnb is the low cost. It tends to be cheaper than most hotels, while individuals and couples can enjoy privacy and comfort for around the same price as a semi-private group room in a hostel with shared bathrooms, particularly in European cities like Barcelona.
As the service has become more popular among leisure travelers, it's been trying to tap into the lucrative business travel market.
According to the US Travel Association, there were around 457 million business person trips — defined as one person on a trip overnight in paid accommodations — in 2016, representing a huge potential revenue stream for Airbnb. This is particularly the case because business travelers tend to prioritize location over cost when choosing accommodation.
This works out well for both employers and travelers, though: Business travelers can stay in more convenient neighborhoods in more home-like atmospheres, while potentially spending less than they would at a traditional hotel.
The best part: Booking a business stay is easy, and you can do it with your existing account regardless of whether your employer has a corporate Airbnb membership. Of course, you should check your employer's travel policy to make sure that there isn't a preferred hotel brand that you're required to stay with, or a portal you need to book through.
Just visit Airbnb's business travel site at airbnb.com/business-travel. If you aren't already logged in to your personal account, click the link in the upper right. Then, enter your work e-mail address in the box, and click the button to link it to your account. That's it!
When you're ready to book a trip, you can search through either the business travel landing page, or the normal Airbnb site — if you do the latter, click the "more filters" button at the top of the results list and switch on "business travel ready." A home is listed as "business travel ready" if it has certain amenities like Wi-Fi and 24-hour check-in.
You don't even need to use your work e-mail address for anything, once you first link it with Airbnb — while you're making a reservation, just select "business travel" as the main purpose of your trip.
To make up for the fact that you won't have a hotel business center nearby, Airbnb partners with WeWork to provide access to business travelers in certain cities. When you click on a property to view its details, you'll see a note indicating that you can get WeWork access if that's available where you're staying.
Airbnb offers business travelers a wider choice in neighborhoods than traditional hotels might, and comfortable, home-like accommodations for competitive prices. Plus, you can get credits for future stays whenever you refer a coworker.
Savings for your employer and for you — what's not to love?
Click here to explore Airbnb for business travel.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that customers could earn a $50 credit after their first business stay, based on information from Airbnb customer support. Airbnb has since confirmed that this promotion has ended.
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