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Airbnb and WeWork team up to find desks for business travelers

The startups are trying to lure professionals away from hotels.

Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images

There's one thing a hotel can offer that most Airbnbs can't: easy access to a conference room and various office amenities. In an effort to make up for that and to entice young professionals to book a rental rather than a hotel room, Airbnb has teamed up with WeWork. According to Bloomberg, corporate customers will be able to save a slot at the nearest WeWork office workspace when they rent a room on Airbnb's website. As the publication said, the partners will likely have a tough time luring wealthy execs away from their hotels. But the new feature sounds useful for those who simply want access to a desk, printer, WiFi and other common office facilities while traveling.

Airbnb has been trying to win professionals all year by launching new features that cater to their needs. Back in April, when it announced that over 250,000 companies around the world have signed up to use it for work, it launched the "Business Travel Ready" search tool that shows only properties suited for business travelers. In July, Airbnb listings also started popping up on Concur for companies that book rooms through the business travel portal.

Airbnb and WeWork confirmed their partnership to Bloomberg but declined to discuss details, including the new feature's launch date. The publication said, however, that the new tool will initially be available in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, London and Sydney before making its way to other locations.