Further to contracts with Le Collectionneur and SiteMinder, Airbnb has entered a technological partnership with Availpro, the online hotel distribution platform owned by AccorHotels.

By opening up to the hotel business, some believe that Airbnb has lost its soul. But this strategy is essentially aimed at mitigating the consequences of restrictive regulations. 

In Japan, the majority of listings have been suspended in anticipation of a law that will require owners to register with the authorities. In addition, rentals in Amsterdam may not exceed 30 days, and short-term rentals will simply be banned in the city centre and the most populated areas.

As part of this partnership, properties equipped with the Availpro channel manager and which comply with "hospitality standards" will be able to list their rooms on Airbnb from the distribution platform.

"We want to work with properties that offer the best customer experiences and share our vision of 'Belong anywhere'. We are delighted to partner with Availpro to support boutique hotels that share a common vision of hospitality," said Emmanuel Marill, Airbnb Director France.

Availpro's customers will be at the centre of this deployment across Europe, notably in France, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain.

"Initially developed as a very powerful channel manager, Availpro gives our hotel customers access to hundreds of channels in many countries. As times change, our technology is also evolving to offer independent hotels the best online distribution tools of tomorrow," said Antoine Buhl, CTO at Availpro.

"Our group has been distributing rooms on the Airbnb website since early 2017. They have implemented a system that works well. Thus, as the market evolves, it is crucial to adapt and join forces [...] Financially, this allows us to reach a broader target that often reserves for longer stays," comments Laurent Rozenbaum, Director of Revenue at Hôtels en Ville Group.

This partnership brings the holiday rental giant closer to the French operator. Indeed, Emmanuel Marill explains: "Mama Shelter and Jo&Joe are interesting concepts, close to the values of the group. It remains to be seen whether these brands, which are not boutique hotels, will one day become part of Airbnb's portfolio.