Hotel chains may want to start getting a little nervous. Upstart non-hotel company AirBnb is looking to break into the world of business travel much more aggressively over the next few years. In response to requests from corporate partners, the room booking giant will officially focus more on acquiring business travelers to fold into its ranks.
In spite of some of the negative feedback you might have heard about the company, AirBnb is a largely reliable service that allows travelers on a budget to enjoy accommodations that are — on average — roomier, cheaper, and more accessible than a large hotel chain. Caution is absolutely advised when booking a listing, but for the most part the site is filled with normal people looking to either earn some extra cash or stay somewhere nice for a reasonable price.
That level of quality is reflected in AirBnb’s 2015 earnings https://www.quora.com/How-much-revenue-is-Airbnb-making, which saw the company bring in $2.2 billion in bookings values, plus a reputed $340 million in revenue for the company itself.
While this news is potentially exciting, it remains to be seen how AirBnb will entice companies to set up their business travelers with accommodations through the company. After all, most hotel chains have decades of relationships with their existing business partners, so it’ll definitely be an uphill battle for AirBnb to woo the competition away.
