Gaest acquired as Airbnb bolsters unit for meetings and company services

Airbnb is clearly taking its Airbnb For Work division seriously, with news that it has bought Gaest, a Danish startup that allows companies to book meeting rooms and event spaces.

The company, created in 2015, operates in six continents and gives brands access to spaces for interviews, meetings, workshops, teambuilding events and other corporate functions.

Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

The acquisition comes as Airbnb continues its effort to bring the private accommodation giant's brand to the corporate world.

Airbnb For Work is the division with which it hopes to connect companies to other corporate-type spaces, focusing on three key areas - teambuilding, offsites and relocations.

The idea is to grow its reach beyond the core business travel market on accommodation.

The acquisition of Gaest is being touted by Airbnb as a move to "fuel our vision of helping all professionals feel a sense of belonging at work by connecting them with the unique spaces they need for meetings and events."

The Gaest platform will continue to operate independently for the foreseeable future, Airbnb says, with the Danish team reporting into Greg Greeley, president of homes.

Gaest's chief marketing officer, Corey Morris, says: "Three years ago, our co-founders set out on a journey to make it easier to list, discover and book unique spaces to work, learn, live and play. It’s been a wild ride with the highs and lows you’d expect from an ambitious startup who’s trying to engender change."

In April 2018, Airbnb For Events was launched in a concentrated maneuver to officially enter the wider event space.

Event organizers - ranging from corporate event to concert arrangers - could create an interactive map of Airbnb listings located near their venues.

The map is embedded directly into event websites, and Airbnb has a personalized landing page for each event on the site to assist in planners’ marketing efforts.

* Check out our interview with David Holyoke, Airbnb For Work's global lead, during The Phocuswright Conference 2018 in Los Angeles.