Home sharing' is still far from entering into travel policies
Despite the fact that 37% of business travelers contemplate “home sharing” and in fact book this type of service for their personal trips, only one in six companies include it in their travel policies, according to a study published by the GBTA Foundation.
The report “Home Sharing and Travel Policy: A Changing Landscape, conducted in collaboration with AccorHotels and based on a survey of 147 travel managers in the U.S. and Canada, reveals, however, that many companies are making an effort to review home-sharing options before deciding whether or not to include them in their policy.
Companies' reasons for excluding this option have to do mainly with safetyand administrative issues. For example, 87% of respondents show concern about security in private accommodations, compared to 55% who refer to this aspect in the case of hotels.
Similarly, three out of five are concerned about the unpredictability of the conditions of the property, a percentage that doubles that recorded in the case of hotels.
The GBTA survey also reveals that corporate travel managers are concerned about nonrefundable terms or the strict cancellation policies that can occur in the “home sharing” environment. Although less important, circumstances such as the quality of the wi-fi, the flexibility of entrances and exits or the lack of amenities are also in the spotlight.
Managers explain that “home sharing” uses marketing channels that are often beyond their control and that if the supply of places were integrated into a GDS the chances of including the service in the travel policy would be much greater.
"The travel manager must maintain a balance between ensuring the safety of their travelers and making cost-effective decisions by using suppliers and services that promote productivity," stresses Kate Vasiloff, director of the study.
In her view, "enabling home sharing may not be right for every company, but it is also unwise to make a decision about it without all the information
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