My Airbnb apartment was comfortable and–best of all–directly across the street from the L.A. Convention Center and Staples Center. (Photo: Airbnb)

I recently test-drove Airbnb on a business trip, with mixed results. When I made plans to attend the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) annual convention in Los Angeles, the closest hotel (with availability) to the convention center was 10 miles away! So I went a little rogue and reserved a rental through Airbnb, the self-described “community marketplace” where you can book accommodations from a real person (or in Airbnb parlance, a “host”). I was thrilled to find an apartment right across the street from the convention center. It looked pretty sweet, and the fact that it was cheaper than the Sheraton (and looked as nice) plus included free parking and Wi-Fi was a bonus.

Last week I wrote up my experience for TravelSkills.com. Check it out here. As you can guess, while the location made the apartment a worthwhile choice, a few wrinkles along the way kept it from being a hotel-like experience.

Airbnb is now targeting business travelers with a portal just for us and some corporate travel partnerships. The company even had a booth at the GBTA Expo. It will prove interesting to see if they can capture a piece of this very desirable travel market segment.