Airbnb will allow hotels and other accommodation providers to list on the site for the first time through an official third party distribution network.
SiteMinder will be the first platform to act as a channel manager on a global scale so that its portfolio of properties can be featured alongside existing properties from Airbnb hosts. Airbnb will charge a service fee for hotels and accommodation providers in the region of 3% to 5% - when OTAs can charge as much as 30%. Airbnb won’t require hosts to sign contracts and will manage all payments and transactions.
SiteMinder has more than 28,000 hotels connected to its channel manager platform. But Airbnb confirms that it will carry out quality control on the properties coming from SiteMinder - meaning hotels will have to meet certain criteria such as unique design characteristics, local influences, access to common gathering spaces and high-quality photography on their content pages. The company also wants to include properties that offer local tours, use local produce and beverages.
Cameron Houser, Airbnb’s Program Manager for Hotels, says: "Small hotels and B&Bs have long used Airbnb and now we’re building new tools and partnerships to help these local businesses thrive.”
