This blog post reflects on the recent change in policies for Airbnb to support racial, gender and age equality for those utilizing the site to book out of town lodging. Apparently there had been some instances where travelers had their lodging plans cancelled at the last minute by the host presumably due to one of the aforementioned factors. Airbnb hired an prominent female representative of the African American culture to review its policies and procedures to determine how a change in them may result in more equality amongst all users.
Key Takeaways:
- Airbnb, the short-term rental website, has moved quickly to tamp down the controversy. It embarked on a top-to-bottom review of how discrimination might creep into the site.
- Airbnb’s response is designed to quiet the questions over discrimination that have threatened to cloud growth of the company.
- That reputation was stained in December, when Harvard University researchers released a working paper.
““Bias and discrimination have no place on Airbnb, and we have zero tolerance for them,” Mr. Chesky wrote in a message to Airbnb users and hosts that accompanied the report.”