Airbnb for Business and BCD Travel partner to integrate data solutions, providing insight into alternative accommodation for travel risk management and business intelligence

12/07/2016 05:00

UTRECHT, Netherlands, July 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BCD Travel is now working with Airbnb for Business to provide corporate travel clients with rich data in a new security and risk management offering that can track the location and trip patterns of business travelers who book Airbnb listings. Airbnb's data will be integrated into BCD Travel's proprietary DecisionSource© business intelligence and security solution, allowing clients to interact with maps and detailed reports in real-time and bring Airbnb accommodation bookings into view for managed travel.

Recent natural disasters, political unrest and terrorist attacks have placed travel risk management among corporate travel professionals' top priorities. BCD Travel's enhanced risk management solutions prepare travelers for potential risks before their trip, keep track of travelers around the world and help companies connect with travelers in the event of a crisis.

"The sharing economy offers new, innovative travel options for business travelers. However, in the event of a crisis, it's a company's legal and moral responsibility to ensure employees are safe no matter where they are," says Torsten Kriedt, vice president, Corporate Intelligence, Product Planning & Portfolio Management. "As demand for alternative travel grows, we're working a step ahead to offer clients the best approach to modern travel and risk management."

"Airbnb is excited to be partnering with BCD Travel and bringing Airbnb for Business to a whole new group of clients and managed travel programs," says Lex Bayer, Head of Global Payments and Business Development at Airbnb. "By partnering with BCD Travel on this initiative we expect travel managers to gain better insights into the cost savings, comprehensive global inventory and flexible travel options that Airbnb offers to their travelers."

The move by BCD Travel and Airbnb to integrate data of their shared clients extends beyond travel risk management.

"With the data feeds from alternative accommodations, travel managers will have a more comprehensive view of travel program spend," said Leslie West, senior vice president of BCD Travel. "They can capture and analyze spend with travelers staying in rooms booked through Airbnb to enable better, more-confident program decisions."

BCD regards its initiative to integrate Airbnb into managed travel as a significant first step toward a much broader offering. "Content is evolving, content sources are changing, and our clients want content that's available through a variety of channels," said Ana Pedersen, BCD Travel vice president of Global Hotel Strategy. "DecisionSource and our proprietary, corporate-booking channel, TripSource®, let clients bring any content under travel management. Clients are no longer bound by traditional approaches. If something improves your travel program, we can manage it."

About BCD Travel
BCD Travel helps companies make the most of what they spend on travel. For travelers, this means keeping them safe and productive, and equipping them to make good choices on the road. For travel and procurement managers, it means advising them on how to grow the value of their travel program. In short, we help our clients travel smart and achieve more. We make this happen in more than 100 countries with more than 12,000 creative, committed and experienced people. And it's how we maintain an industry-leading client-retention rate of 97%, with 2015 sales of US$23.8 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com.

About BCD Group
BCD Group is a market leader in the travel industry. The privately owned company was founded in 1975 by John Fentener van Vlissingen and consists of BCD Travel (global corporate travel management), Travix (online travel: CheapTickets, Vliegwinkel, BudgetAir, Flugladen and Vayama), Park 'N Fly (off-airport parking) and joint ventures Parkmobile International (mobile parking applications) and AERTrade International (consolidating and fulfillment). BCD Group employs over 13,000 people and operates in 100+ countries with total sales of US$25.4 billion, including US$10 billion partner sales. For more information, visit www.bcdgroup.com.

About Airbnb
Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world — online or from a mobile phone or tablet. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 191 countries. And with worldclass customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.