CultSwitch facilitates hotels, pensions and bed & breakfast businesses to use the world’s most popular accommodation platform.
Berlin, 29 July 2020. CultSwitch has implemented an interface to Airbnb. As the leading platform for authentic accommodation, there are more than seven million homes on Airbnb in more than 100,000 cities worldwide. CultSwitch users can now benefit from the platform’s high popularity and loyal user community.
Airbnb is one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry: founded in 2008 as “Airbed & Breakfast” in San Francisco, the platform generated ten million guest arrivals by 2012 – today this figure is over 750 million. At Google, Airbnb is the most searched-for accommodations brand. Airbnb’s original purpose was to provide home-sharing accommodation. But for many years now commercial providers have also been able to present themselves on Airbnb, provided they meet the required standards.
Properties from professional providers should have a unique, independent environment and style, offer personal hospitality and must not belong to a mass-market hotel chain. For example, boutique hotels, aparthotels, pensions, bed & breakfasts, hostels and lodges are explicitly welcome.
“I think Airbnb is a great complementary offer, especially for smaller houses, and can make a real difference, particularly in the Corona period”, says Robert Reinsch, Head of Customer Care and Partner Management at CultSwitch. “With CultSwitch, providers now benefit from the strong Airbnb brand and high visibility. For example, hotels can increase their short-term bookings by being listed on Airbnb. But the large network and loyal community are also an advantage. Almost 90 percent of guests who book a hotel room on Airbnb return to the platform for their next trip.”