There is buzz in the Airbnb world, and it stems from the catchphrase - being business travel ready. So what's it all about actually?

The idea of being business travel ready

Imagine the business traveller.

He/she is visiting a place for work, and needs somewhere comfortable to stay, with the appropriate amenities to ensure their work is not interrupted. A place that is perhaps more affordable than a hotel (especially for longer work trips), and that feels more like a real home.

The business traveller tends to need more reliability in his/her reservations, because it'll be a nightmare to reschedule meetings because of accommodation issues.

Now, we look at Airbnb. Many Airbnb properties already fulfil most of the business traveller's needs based on the description above. Certain aspects may need a bit of fine-tuning (eg. improving response rate because efficiency is important to the business traveller). But the idea is that it probably wouldn't take that much more effort for an Airbnb host to make their property suitable for business travellers, if it isn't already.

Airbnb has realised that too, and so has decided to make things easier for both business travellers and Airbnb hosts. They have created the 'Business Travel Ready' badge, which is based on fixed requirements. It immediately identifies an Airbnb property as being suitable for business travellers. To get the badge, you need the following:

2-5Photo credits: Airbnb.com

And this is all great for the business traveller, because it makes it much easier for him/her to quickly find an Airbnb property that meets their requirements.

But what is the incentive for an Airbnb host to get the 'Business Travel Ready' badge?

Here's the answer:  

3-5Photo credits: Airbnb.com

This idea actually isn't that new after all. It was already announced in 2015.

But Airbnb is quickly realising that making an Airbnb property Business Travel Ready is win-win for both hosts and business travellers, and would like to encourage it. 

And so they are ramping up efforts - such as sending direct emails - to nudge hosts whose properties are just short of a few requirements to provide them, and highlighting exactly what is needed. 

Host Assist to help hosts find the tools they need 

To save hosts the effort of trying to source for what they need, Airbnb has supplied a section called Host Assist.  This section lists out all the best tools that hosts can use, that are catered for Airbnb in particular.

To view the Host Assist section, click on the 'Host' tab on the top menu bar after you have signed into your Airbnb host account, and you'll see it. You will see all the products/services that Airbnb has partnered, and that are available in your country. 

Here you see a sample screenshot:

4-3Photo credits: Airbnb.com

igloohome, as you may already know, is a partner listed on Host Assist worldwide to help hosts with self check-in. Our igloohome Keybox is designed for Airbnb hosts. It provides 24-hour access to an Airbnb property, even when the host is not around. PIN codes for guest access can be set to expire after their booked duration of stay, so the property remains secure. 

An optional service that igloohome offers is called Airbnb Connect. It automates the generation and sending of PIN codes for your Airbnb guests. This saves you the time taken to create PIN codes manually. More information about how it works can be found here.

Going back to Host Assist - aside from self check-in products, there are other tools and services available too, such as cleaning services.

All of these are not just limited to Business Travel Ready Airbnb properties - any Airbnb hosts can use them too. But they are even more crucial for Business Travel Ready Airbnb hosts, as they help to fulfil the criteria to receive the badge.

Airbnb Hosts Special Promotion - igloohome Keybox 

And as a special tie-up with Airbnb, Airbnb hosts get a further discount on our Keybox! This will be available shortly - please check your Host Assist page to get your special promo code. 

We are happy to help Airbnb hosts become Business Travel Ready. You're welcome!