Concur’s partnership with Airbnb, announced back in July, feels like a pivotal moment in 2014. It’s a sort of establishment meets disruptor.
It’s recognition that there’s a generation of travellers that view the world in a different way and need to be catered for. And, it feels like a wider awakening in distribution that things are no longer as they have been.
For Airbnb’s part, integration with Concur’s TripLink and the wider launch of Airbnb for Business is a savvy move. The accommodation platform attributes 10% of customers to business travel already.
Concur revealed earlier in the year that use of the accommodation platform had quadrupled every year since 2010. At the time the travel and expense management specialist also claimed it was on track to hit $1 million in Airbnb sales for the quarter.
For Concur, not only are the numbers adding up but also the partnership will ease the old meets new relationship in terms of making it easy for the business travel community to book the service and bringing the details back into the traditional booking and expense path. It also means companies get visibility on spend and the related management information.
A further vital element, duty of care obligations, may not be so easy to guarantee when it comes to the sharing economy.
Airbnb was not the only integration announced by Concur at the time – a similar partnership was unveiled with Uber – the taxi app that has been under media scrutiny for much of 2014. That last part is interesting in itself again in terms of the duty of care responsibilities of corporations.
So, what now? Where next?
Some more of the same. Rival travel and expense management specialists will seek similar integrations. Newer entrants will discover the complexities of distribution in the business travel space. Established players will continue to develop services to connect with newer companies and deliver to the traveller.
And, might Apple finally show its iTravel hand?
NB: Business travel image via Shutterstock.