US Sedan Services Moves the People Who Move the World. Airbnb Lets Them Sleep.

US Sedan Service has been the Washington DC industry leader, the go-to for corporate and diplomatic transportation for over 20 years. Why? Because C-level executives like you understand that there’s no better way to get from point A to point B than in a private, luxury sedan. For parties of up to four people, a new Mercedes, Audi or Cadillac with a highly professional driver is the most effective way for any executive to travel.

With the question of executive travel answered — It’s always US Sedan. — corporate event planners next have to think of lodging. There’s Mandarin Oriental, with whom US Sedan Service has an exclusive arrangement, but…

Have you considered what Airbnb has to offer?

Airbnb has completely transformed the consumer hospitality sector. Now the company is looking to do the same to the corporate travel world.

(The following text was originally published on European CEO on June 4, 2015.)

Airbnb is one of the biggest names in the sharing economy, helping millions of people discover some of the most unique places the world has to offer. Its disruptive business model has made it a massive hit with consumers, but has naturally attracted a lot criticism from others in hospitality sector.

Travelers who first used Airbnb outside the workplace are increasingly requesting employers to use them for business trips. This has provided fertile ground for the company to expand its offering into the business travel market. European CEO spoke with Marc McCabe, Business Travel Lead at Airbnb, to find out how the company plans to make inroads into the corporate travel industry.

What steps are you taking to make Airbnb appeal to the corporate and business market?

I think that the first step that we really took was to start working with travel managers to develop a solution that would make them more comfortable with Airbnb as a corporate offering. And I think that one of the things that we addressed was duty of care – being able to know where your employees are at any one time. We also helped to filter some of the properties that are more suitable for business travel.

So, we created a business search site that filters out some of the more eclectic properties, like treehouses and boats. It only shows entire homes and properties with Wi-Fi. This gives you an easier view of our properties from a corporate standpoint. And then we provide some dedicated services as well. And so, through this, these companies are able to offer a programme that fits better within their corporate structures.

What are the main reasons businesses are opting to use Airbnb’s service?

We see a mix and it really depends on the company. But I think one reason is because their employees are asking for it and they want to be able to offer it in a safe and secure way. The other main reason comes down to having access to greater inventory. I think travel managers have this issue from time to time during the year, and some deal with it year-round, but you know, there is less and less inventory available. It is becoming more expensive and to have this option increases your inventory pretty considerably, because we have millions of active properties globally now.

What should we expect to see from Airbnb’s corporate and business offering in the future? Really we want to improve the service and have it be more automated, more streamlined. Once we can identify which of your travellers are travelling with Airbnb for business and when they are doing that, we can actually start to provide more features. This is very much the first step.

Read the full interview >

And then, the next time business brings you to Washington DC, you’ll know who to call for all of your executive and diplomatic transportation needs — no, not Ghostbusters, and not AirBnB.

Call US Sedan Service. We move the people who move the world.