Airbnb is close to announcing a global sponsorship with the IOC, sources said, a major escalation of the home sharing platform's modest sports marketing presence as it prepares to go public in '20. According to sources familiar with the deal, Airbnb’s Olympic rights will mostly focus on its growing "experiences" line, which launched in '16. It is not intended to infringe on the traditional large-scale, business-to-luxury class hotel and hospitality business that Olympic organizers require to stage the biennial Games, sources said. The hotel category is currently open for the USOPC and has never been sold globally by the IOC.
Sources cautioned the final terms of the relationship may not be ironed out for some time, but Airbnb representatives were seen at an annual meeting of current sponsors last month in Switzerland. The IOC declined to comment and Airbnb did not return a message. Financial terms are unknown, though two sources said the deal would run through the ’28 L.A. Games. The IOC has been known to seek $50M annually for global rights, but the price can vary substantially by category and services offered.
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