We’ve weighed the pros and cons of incorporating Airbnb in your employee travel policies, so you can be the judge of whether or not the “Worldwide Accommodations Leader” is a suitable replacement for your employees’ business travel, as well as relocation, needs.
While founded in 2008, Airbnb has been steadily gaining interest from corporations for business travel. According to CNNMoney, the number of corporations using Airbnb today for business travel is at least 1,000, and with the startup’s recent launch of its “Airbnb for Business” portal, which includes a centralized billing system and a dashboard for tracking employee spend, the number of corporate users is only anticipated to continue growing.
Like any successful startup, however, there’s a question of whether or not Airbnb, especially when provided as a service to your employees, is merely a trending perk or an impending addition to HR and relocation policies that’s here to stay.
What Airbnb Offers Business Travelers and Relocating Employees
- Significant cost savings for large group travel
- More flexible accommodations, such as parking spots, full kitchens, and office or meeting spaces for groups
- More control over neighborhood location and the accommodations that work best for your employees
- Can easily be added to your employees’ relocation Lump Sum policy for destination trips or temporary housing
Important Considerations for Business Travelers and Relocating Employees
- Employees must feel comfortable and safe renting a personal home or apartment and with the neighborhood or street location
- Particularly, female employees must feel comfortable and safe in the space if traveling alone
- Opportunities for misleading accommodation information exists due to regulation issues, especially concerning shared parking spaces; use of Wi-Fi or cable or phone; A/C or heating capabilities; and safety features, such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, etc.
- Property damage is possible (only certain items are covered under Airbnb’s insurance)
- Unresponsive or fraudulent hosts have led to double-booked spaces or spaces rented out not by the actual owner
Whether your company is an Airbnb fan or not, special considerations must be taken before any new service is added to employee policy.