Airbnb Expands Meeting-Space Footprint
The company is expanding its presence in the meeting-space arena, most recently with the acquisition of Aarhus, Denmark-based startup Gaest.com.
Vacation rental marketplace Airbnb is strengthening its foothold in the meeting-space arena with the expansion of Airbnb for Work, its platform for supplying rental space to companies and professionals eager to keep pace with today’s evolving work paradigm. The company recently announced the acquisition of Gaest.com, an online marketplace providing meeting locations for increasingly coveted short-term rentals across the globe.
“We imagine a world where anyone can share their space for professional events and, in the longer term, for celebrations. Bringing in a leadership team with strong domain knowledge allows us to accelerate our work in this area,” David Holyoke, global head of Airbnb for Work, said in a prepared statement.
Gaest.com, an Aarhus, Denmark-based startup, provides commercial spaces to accommodate a variety of meeting activities, including interviews, workshops, team-building events and other occasions such as photoshoots. The company made its debut in 2015 and today it has a portfolio of offerings spanning six continents. Gaest.com’s space options, rentable for hours or days, can be found across the U.K., Sweden and Denmark, as well as in leading cities like Bangkok, Dubai and Dublin. The company also offers space in less prominent markets, including Abuja, Nigeria and Jersey in the Channel Islands.
“Our dream from day one has been to make it easier, faster and more cost-effective to list, discover and book unique spaces that spark creativity, motivate interaction and encourage knowledge sharing,” Anders Mogensen, co-founder & CEO of Gaest.com, said in prepared remarks. The transaction, he added, allows Gaest.com to play a vital role in Airbnb’s “mission to make it easier for professionals to feel a sense of belonging at work.”
Branching out
Airbnb for Work, originally named Airbnb for Business, launched in 2014 with the goal of providing unique accommodations for business travelers. The platform’s objective, however, has since grown in new directions. In 2018, Airbnb for Work expanded into three new areas designed to assist companies to attract, retain and motivate talent: experiences on Airbnb for team-building; homes on Airbnb for offsites and meetings; and new options for people relocating for work.
With its latest expansion through the Gaest.com acquisition, Airbnb for Work remains on trend. According to a new report by Skift and TripActions, “The opportunity to utilize creativity and innovation is also influencing growing demand for new types of meeting spaces for corporate travelers and meeting planners.”
For the time being, Gaest.com will continue to operate as its own platform.
Images courtesy of Gaest.com
