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Airbnb makes another play for hotel customers
BI Intelligence
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Airbnb is introducing a new system to inspect and list a premium category of rentals, according to Business Insider.
This service is internally referred to as “Select” and is expected to be geared toward high-income consumers. Airbnb declined to comment on the original story.
The program could help Airbnb appear more consistent to entice hotel clientele.
The service requires an inspection conducted by Airbnb, and if lodgings meet the company’s standards, they will be featured in the program. This new category could be presented as a safe option to customers wary of possible quality issues with their rental. Moreover, potential renters will now have professional approval to consider on top of user-generated feedback. The service will help guarantee the level of consistency in Airbnb’s listings that customers already expect from hotels.
If Airbnb is truly going to disrupt the hotel industry, it will need to attract business travelers. In the United States, 70% of hotel room nights are booked by business travelers. But this demographic, used to luxury perks and comfortable accommodations, is hard to win over. This program could help Airbnb better appeal to this supremely important segment, as inspecting rentals on behalf of potential business travelers could make them comfortable enough to rely on the home-sharing company. Airbnb also recently added a search filter to its platform that allows business travelers to look for “Business Travel Ready” listings, but it is not yet clear if this will overlap with the proposed “Select” program.
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