Airbnb Diversity Policy

[Laura2714]

Do you think Airbnb should appear to be supporting political candidates ?

I seek not to be political with my guests. But, I was sent an RSVP candidate. I dint want to rob anyone of their freedom to share their ideas But, I don’t want myself or my business associated with this women. How do you other hosts feel this issue. 
How and when should Airbnb support people running for Office ?

if this meeting is in the press, would you be cool with that ?

Does this meeting violate Airbnbs diversity policy ?

should Airbnb involve themselves in highly contentious Arizona political races ?

I love diversity. It’s one of the reasons why I’m an Airbnb host. And, what I’m a consistent Airbnb Superhost.

I want to bring this diversity concerns to your attention, because no one likes to be called, anti-diversity in the press.

I was sent an Airbnb RSVP from the Airbnb app to attend a meeting with a local political candidate. Her names is Kari Lake, she is running for office in Arizona. 

Kari Lake has publicly said and endorsed ideas and actions that are opposed to the Airbnb diversity and inclusion policy. She has publicly said things that are opposed to giving equal rights to all people regardless of race, sexual orientation, national origins and much more. Her words have been no fact based and painful to communities I serve as Superhost.

I believe, My attendance at meeting with such  a person would violate the Airbnb diversity code of ethics. 

Please, immediately review this error in decision making.

[Anonymous]

@Laura2714 Kari Lake is a piece of absolute trash as a person and politician, but I don't think participating a meeting is the same thing as an endorsement. What you can expect is that Airbnb will constantly lobby in favor of its own profit interests in every market that's valuable to it, even if that means sucking up to regimes with horrific human rights records. That "diversity and inclusion" rhetoric is just marketing - take a look at who's in Airbnb's boardroom and ask yourself how diverse and inclusive those  white millennial billionaires really are.

[Laura2714]

In the highly contagious, Arizona race for Governor, there are 8 candidates in the primary. Airbnb has sent me an RSVP to meet with ONE candidate in the race for Arizona Governor. The most anti-inclusion candidate, the most anti-diversity candidate. 

If this is an effort to lobby:

#1) Kari Lake  has not even won the Republican primary in Arizona. (The Arizona primary is happening right now.)
Why are they lobbying a candidate who hasn’t even won the primary?

#2) The ONLY candidate that Airbnb has sent me an invitation to talk to is a radical anti-diversity far-right extremist. I’ve received an RSVP to speak to ONE candidate. That will appear out of balance when this story reaches the press. 

3) There are multiple races with multiple candidates happening right now in Arizona. I do not receive an RSVP to speak to other candidates in other races. I received only an invitation to speak to, Kari Lake. 

#3) I’m concerned about my guests discovering that Airbnb set up a meeting with only one low level far-right Republican candidate. I want my guests to feel that Airbnb is a, ‘safe-place.’

Is this effective lobbying?

If an Airbnb employee set up this meeting with a low-level radical right Republican to lobby, that person should be terminated for violating the Diversity Policy. In addition, if this is a lobbing effort; it is a grossly inadequate to waste time with a controversial candidate that has not won the primary. The lobbyist has exposed the organization to bad PR. 

 As a Superhost host, I request the employee who sent out the email and organised this meeting with Republican primary candidate, Kari Lake, be terminated, effective immediately.

[Laura2714]

Kari Lake worked as a journalist in Arizona for 22 years, before becoming, 

1 of 8 primary candidates for Governor in the State of Arizona. 

Not only is this going to the press, a meeting with Kari Lake is speaking to the press. She’s a TV News person from Pheonix. 

Has someone contracts the legal department about this ? 

[Laura2714]

Again, I want to be clear that I am speaking about my dilemma openly in front of my Airbnb community. 

I absolutely seek to avoid discussing the contentious political landscape of Arizona or politics, in general, with my Airbnb guests. 

But, Airbnb has sent me this notice that they are hosting a political rally for Kari Lake. A women who has not even won her parties nomination, yet. A women who’s public statements violate Airbnbs diversity policy. 

Have requested and will wait for the Airbnb legal department  to guide me on my actions moving forward. 

[Mark116]

@Laura2714  You are misunderstanding or mischaracterizing what the Airbnb Arizona host leaders are doing.  They are not hosting any kind of rally, or endorsement.  They have apparently, according to your post, sent invitations for all gubernatorial candidates to meet Airbnb hosts and discuss the STR issue...this seems like fair and good politics/grassroots work to me.

If you don't want to go to this particular event, then don't go. 

[Laura2714]

I accepted the invitation. 
I’m going to personally explain to Kari that she has violated the policies of Airbnb. 

[Laura2714]

I’ve worked for a lot of organizations and the rule has always been:

“if a member of the press approaches you to talk about the organization or the organizations political viewed. Contact legal, immediately”

I’m not sure this is an issue for the board of directors, I’d forward this to the legal department. ASAP

 

[Mark116]

@Laura2714 It reads as if Airbnb is setting up meet and greets with all of the candidates in order to impress on them the value of the STR market in Arizona, I can't say I see anything wrong with that.

[Laura2714]

I’ve sent this to Airbnb’s legal team.  

I request legal representation for this meeting with Kari Lake.

 Kari Lake is a veteran journalist. I have been approach to represent Airbnb in a meeting with a journalist. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss politics. I request, Airbnbs attorneys be present for this meeting with a journalist and politician. 

Contacting, the legal team is standards practice at any corporation when a member of the press approaches a team member to discusss the organization and the organizations stance of controversial political issues. 

I request assistance from the Airbnb legal team. Thank you.

[Wendy1409]

I understand your position, and if this were a vacation rental, or otherwise non-official stay, I don't think you would have the right to refuse a guest without violating the AirBnB terms of service.

That said- this guest is asking you to personally speak to her on the state of the housing and rental economy. Kari Lake is an appalling excuse for a human being, and has frequently demonstrated that misinformation is part and parcel to her campaign platform, has openly supported racial and gender politics that undermine and limit civil and human rights, and as someone else said, knows how to twist and utilize a soundbite.  

I think your best bet is to respond to her request with an apology, explaining that for the safety and security of future guests, you have a non disclosure privacy agreement for guests.  I would also mention that you are not comfortable with her using your name or rental in any public forum, as it would create a potentially discriminative and unwelcome environment for the diversity of your guests.  

I don't know if you are allowed to refuse her, should she agree to keep your name and location private.  However, you could argue that the inevitable publicity that her, her security, and any potential guests she invites over to the rental, could cause issues with neighbors and your status as a host.  

That's the high road.  The other option is to apologize and explain that you have already booked your rental through another service, and simply forgot to block out the dates on AirBnB in the confusion.  That would probably mean you will have to block the dates out and potentially lose a bit of income from them, but you can always change the status shortly after when the other booking suddenly cancels.

I agree, however unpalatable the guests politics are, it's pivotal to keep your own out of your business. Everyone has an equal right to rent, if they follow the rules the host sets out.    This is an entirely different situation though- she will create publicity, she will make your location known to non-guests, it will most likely cause issues with the neighbors, and it could absolutely repel future guests from booking.  So give her the option to rent as a private citizen, with the rules you set forth regarding no guests, no news crews, no security team, and total anonymity with respect to you and her stay, and go from there.  She's a publicity hound, so odds are she probably won't rent from you under those circumstances anyway, and at least you're protected by doing it right.

[Laura2714]

I don’t think you understand, Airbnb sent me this invitation to a political rally for journalist & candidate for Arizona Governor, Kari Lake. It is Not a request to stay at my listing. She is welcomed to stay at my listing and experience the beauty of diversity. 

This is an invitation from AIRBNB to a Kari Lake political rally. I’ve accepted the invitation because I want to tell her personally how her public statements violate the Airbnb Diversity Policy. 

Kari Lake didn’t send me this  RSVP, Airbnb did. Again, Airbnb sent me an RSVP for a political rally for Lake.    They didn’t include any other of the candidates or races in Arizona. This message is an endorsement for Kari from Airbnb.

Does the legal team believe that is prudent ?

Again, I’m not comfortable talking about politics. I’m not especially political. I’ve learned from years of experience at corporations that if a journalist approaches you about your organisation their political views to forward it to the legal department.

If this conversation on the community forum makes you uncomfortable - remember they Kari Lake worked for the Pheonix evening news for 22 years.

She is a seasoned journalist and this will be spun into an endorsement.

Their will be a  media story about the Airbnb political rally for Kari Lake. 

[Wendy1409]

Good grief, that's crazy.  I expect that AirBnB is just trying to get publicity, and more business- even bad press is good press if it increases their exposure. I'm sure they're willing to do the same regardless of what party, politician, or celebrity it is.  They're not looking out for you, they're looking out for their own bottom line. 

I'd just decline it.  You're allowed to vet guests, so you're under no obligation to accept.  And for what it's worth, I can't stand her politics- you're not bringing politics into your business by just declining to speak with her, for all the same reasons I mentioned when I thought she was trying to book.  If you want to tell her off though, go for it- I'll cheer you on.  I just would worry that by accepting, it might encourage AirBnB to pull more of these stunts. 

[Laura2714]

If they had a bipartisan panel of multiple candidates from multiple races, it would be less of an OBVIOUS tacit endorsement of Kari Lake and her views on race, LBTGQ rights, ect…ect ect…I’ve attached a written statement of Kari Blake’s  beliefs from the Arizona Voters Guide. This is the candidate that Airbnb has chosen to give a tacit endorsement in the press. 

 Im going to the rally to state in person that Kari Blake doesn’t represent my beliefs as an Airbnb host. 

Again, I’m not political. I’ve sought to

remain respectful. I just thought the Airbnb community needed to know about this violation of the Airbnb Diversity Policy. And, that legal and PR should be aware of the situation.

I’ll end this the same way, I began.
I love diversity. It’s why I host Airbnb and why I’m a Superhost. 

[Laura2714]