Airbnb partners with Shiji to boost Chinese presence

China: Airbnb has partnered with accommodation provider Shiji Distribution Solutions to boost its hotel inventory and grow its presence further in China.

The agreement will provide hotels in China with the opportunity to distribute their content on Airbnb since it broadened its offering officially into non-private accommodation early last year.

However, Airbnb will know that it faces stiff competition in the country’s home-sharing sector, especially from leading companies such as Tujia.

In the meantime, the agreement with Shiji will give Airbnb a significant boost in getting inventory from hotels as it looks to push through with its accommodation supply strategy in the Chinese market.

Managing director of Shiji Distribution Solutions, Anson Lau, told Phocuswire: “As a leading distribution solution for hotels in the Chinese market, we’re always looking to increase the number of distribution channels that hotels can use to reach their potential guests.

“By partnering with Airbnb we’re looking forward to helping our hotel and accommodation clients reach new markets,” he said.

A sign underlining Airbnb’s growing presence in China is the fact that it and Shiji are launching a “roadshow” to promote the partnership to existing and potential new accommodation providers in the travel space.

The addition of hotels to the Airbnb weaponry in 2018 came with a bold battle cry from CEO Brian Chesky who positioned the company up against Expedia and Booking.com.

In addition to Tujia, Airbnb will be competing with the established likes of Ctrip and rival online travel agencies.