Airbnb usage has shown strong growth over time, including the number of business travellers expensing Airbnb accommodations, which grew 44 percent year-over-year in Q2 2016.
Concur, an SAP company and the world’s leading provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions, has released an analysis based on a subset of Concur customer data representing US$77 million in Airbnb spend, and more than 320,000 Airbnb expenses over eight quarters.
Analysis revealed that small and midsized businesses, with a total of up to 1,000 employees, are among the fastest adopters. On average, small and midsized companies spent US$2,800 on Airbnb stays in Q2 2016, while a small number of organizations spent more than US$20,000 in the same quarter.
Business travellers may be blending work and exploration. From Q3 2014 through Q2 2016, more money was spent on Airbnb stays in San Francisco than in any other city. Meanwhile, London held steady at number two in the two-year timeframe, followed by New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Austin, illustrating a growing shift in how employees approach business travel. Business travellers might see Airbnb as a cost-effective opportunity to explore a city’s scenic neighbourhoods that are beyond walking distance from major hotels.
Major conferences are also a driver as Airbnb usage was six times higher than average during Salesforce.com’s annual Dreamforce conference held in San Francisco in October 2015. www.concur.com
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