Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) corporate division in Australia and New Zealand has formed a ground-breaking partnership with Airbnb to provide accommodation for its corporate customers.

In a first for Australasia, FCTG’s corporate brands, including FCM Travel Solutions, Corporate Traveller, Campus Travel and Stage & Screen, will now be able offer their clients’ business travellers the chance to book Airbnb accommodation.

More than three million global listings are currently offered by Airbnb for Business, which also allows both the traveller and travel manager to see reservation details, make changes to the booking, and contact the host directly.

“Customers’ needs and preferences in the corporate travel sector are constantly evolving, and this agreement will deliver interesting new accommodation options that will appeal to sections of our customer base, particularly those who are looking to experience something a little different to a traditional hotel stay,” said Andrew Flannery, FCTG’s executive general manager for corporate travel. “It will also benefit our corporate customers who are travelling to locations where there may currently be an under-supply of suitable hotel rooms.

“We are currently talking with a number of clients about the range of opportunities that Airbnb offers for travellers,” he added.

Corporate travel is becoming an increasingly important sector for Airbnb; approximately 10% of all travellers on Airbnb are business travellers, and in 2016, the number of business trips booked on Airbnb tripled.

“We are thrilled to be working with FCTG’s corporate travel brands, in this sector of the travel industry, and look forward to helping Australian and New Zealand business travellers feel more at home while on the road,” said David Holyoke, global director of business travel at Airbnb. “Airbnb for Business gives business travellers the ability to explore a city like a local, making it easy to travel for work without sacrificing the comforts of home.”

The deal following a trial run by FCTG with one of its clients over the last few months, which saw travellers give an average rating of 4.76 out of 5 stars for Airbnb stays, with an average daily rate of AU$80 (approx. US$61).