UPDATE:
BridgeStreet originally said its entire portfolio of properties would be offered to Airbnb For Business. It turns out that is not correct after all and it will not disclose at present how many of its 50,000-property database will be made available.
ORIGINAL:
Bridge Street Global Hospitality is to place 50,000 serviced apartments on Airbnb as part of a major move to expand the sharing economy brand's targeting of corporate travellers.
The "exclusive" partnership will see BridgeStreet refer its client base of travel buyers and corporate travel planners to Airbnb if they don't have a property in the market or a property that fits their needs.
In return, Airbnb will be tapping into BridgeStreet's client base, and will have BridgeStreet inventory on its fledgling Airbnb For Business platform.
Airbnb head of hospitality, Chip Conley, says:
"Long term travelers want more than just access to a place to lay their head, they want to get to know their city, neighborhood bookshop, best place for coffee, live like a local, whether that means staying in a Victorian home in San Francisco or a loft in Paris."
BridgeStreet estimates "nearly half of all employees" are now permitted to make their own business travel arrangements.
CEO Sean Worker adds:
"Through our partnership, we will strategically position our services to Airbnb’s untapped corporate travel audience, while we offer a broader array of experiences to our client base -- it’s incredibly intuitive."
The company has apartments in over 60 countries worldwide.