According to the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company, it is increasingly common for business travellers to partake in what is known as ‘b-leisure’: extending work trips in order to fit in a holiday at the end of a long business commitment.
In fact, on average, business travellers who book their trips with Airbnb choose to stay twice as long as they would in a hotel – around 6.8 days in total.
This, according to the online travel company, suggests that more and more business travellers are looking to mix business with leisure. Using the extra time to get to grips with a new city, travellers may take some of their annual leave in order to pair their work trip with a vacation.
Furthermore, more and more companies are now using Airbnb for Business to book accommodation for their employees, according to the website. This business travel portal of Airbnb was launched in July last year and gives employees the opportunity to choose from a wider selection of places to stay during their work trips.
Increasingly, staff members are opting out of staying in hotels. What is more, employees that choose to book with Airbnb are able to save around 30 percent on average when compared to traditional accommodations.
“Since introducing Airbnb for Business, we’ve seen the number of companies using it grow tenfold”, said Chip Conley, Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy at Airbnb, in a statement. “Businesses have clearly been longing for a better way to manage their employees’ travel needs, and business travellers seem eager for change from the traditional business travel accommodations.”
In the six months since the site launched, more than 50,000 employees from over 5,000 businesses have completed bookings.
