Airbnb offers free housing to those affected by the US ban

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

Many of you have read in the news about the recent limits enforced on immigration into the US. It is not my intention to start a political discussion here, however I wanted to let you all know that Airbnb is working with partners around the world and has set up a tool to help provide free housing to refugees and anyone recently barred from entering the US. If you would like to read more about Brian Chesky's announcement, see here.

If you would like to help and offer support, here is how you can: Volunteer My Home

An excellent Community Center guide has just been created on how to volunteer your home, do take a look here for more guidance. 

Thanks so much to you all. 

Lizzie

[Tracy0]

AirBNB has stepped up when various attacks and natural disasters have occurred to reach out and ask hosts to help. It provides hosts who want to a way to help in a rather unique and special way.  Maybe it could have been framed more accurately, but I think the intent was positive.

I'm dismayed about the comments here about 'regular Americans' vs 'protesting ones' and 'coastal elites' etc.  This kind of thing/politicization doesn't belong here.  And IMHO when someone chooses to make a donation to the ACLU or any other organisation, it's their right and priviledge to do so.  If you don't like it that badly to vote with your feet, don't host and use the platform to make money (or don't stay and get a great hosted room or flat to stay in).  Simples.

Tracy (an American expat in London who would offer a place to someone who happened to be stuck here as a result of this ban)

[David126]

@Tracy0

Always a problem when you take political view which is why as a business best avoided. Given time you will just upset everybody.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/airbnb-trump-muslim-refugee-ban_us_588e26fce4b01763779503d8

Huffington Post and when I looked 377 comments including some from people who host on AirBnB and probably do not know this forum exists.

Similar themes and I always considered HuffPo left leaning.

Many assume that AirBnB is covering the cost and quite a few wonder if Hosts have been asked if they want to host refugees. Very few seem to realise that the Host is the one providing free accomodation, well I did not see any but yet again I did not read them all.

[Jeannette0]

Tracy -- as David said -- it's bad business and it hurts us as hosts.

AirBNB needs to stick to its knitting, which is short-term homesharing.

Not ancillary politics.

[Tracy0]

Sometimes people do what they feel is right, even if it hurts their business.

The business can do what it likes, and you can vote with your feet, just like anyone else, and decide to not take up the advantages of the platform if you a) don't like the decision or b) don't want to support a company that made that decision or c) don't feel that you get enough traffic because others are voting with their feet.  I don't see the point in whining about it otherwise.  

Tracy  

[Jeannette0]

The good ole' "muh feelz" argument.

[Tracy0]

Why are you taking such an insulting tone?  I don't get it.

It's not 'feelz'.  Fact.

There was a local business which did something very publicly which I did not like. I explained to them my view, and I stopped shopping there.  I had to travel well out of my way to get the thing I needed (which otherwise they only sold).  My choice.

You can do the same. Yes, it might be painful to have to switch companies, but it would be your choice. If you choose not to do it because it's hard, or inconvenient - that is also your choice. But you can't make him take back his donation, or make him align with what is apparently a different view on the domestic policy recently imposed.

For what it's worth I've had what you describe as 'regular Americans' come to stay, and deride our system as 'socialist' and questioning why I'd put up with it - meanwhile taking advantage of it (an injury which was seen by a local doctor free of charge). They loved it helped them out, but continued to be very negative about the system they took advantage of. It simply shows those individuals are not reflective people, and like any guests you have had who are not gracious and understanding that sharing a home with someone else means getting along and not voicing extremes (and certainly not pushing them), you could consider chalking it up to 'really better suited to a hotel (as they say)'  Most guests are great and I suspect most hosts are too. 

I don't see why you are so bent on making this political, citing 'Anti Trump' and 'coastal elites' and 'regular Americans'. I could do the reverse, but it's not the place, the platform etc.  Facts aside, that's my 'feelz' about it. 

[David126]

There are ways about doing things.

AirBnB has a matching gift initiative to UNHCR up to US$1m and I have not seen any negative comments about this and would not expect to do so.

I have a feeling that if AirBnB had just announced they had a system where Refugees and Hosts who were willing to provide accomodation for free could be connected, none of this would have arise.

I noticed on another forum http://www.airhostsforum.com/ there is a long thread on this with perhaps even greater confusion.

As is often the case poor communication can cause major issues.

[Anonymous]

Hi to everybody, especially @Jeannette0 (so many times...)

Same things happen here in France on various social or press medias. Hosts livid about a communication which turns viral about free accomodation. Guests offended by Airbnb decision asking you if any desinfection is planned after refugees stay (true!) . Help Association which are dealing with refugees long time ago without any help speaking about immoral hijacking.

Twitter Airbnb account is just overflowed by negative posts about boycott and deleted accounts...

In France we use to say there is 2 topics every host have to avoid to speak about in a dinner: politics and religion...

[Jeannette0]

Bonjour, tout c'est vrai @Anonymous, mon couer.

[Jeannette0]

Well, this entire exercise is textbook virtue signaling.

AirBNB misleads the public into thinking it is paying the expense of housing refugees, meanwhile, doing nothing of the sort.

**And** alienating a nice chunk of its potential customer base in the process.

WTG!

[Mark26]

It's easy to say "It was not my intention to start a political discussion" but the truth is you dragged out a great big pot, and shoved a spoon in it.  Now that you've seen what happened here, imagine for a moment the long range repercussions of Cheskey's Headline Grabbing announcement.

Regardless of your own personal thoughts, a minefield has just been laid that all of us need to walk through.  Whether you support or oppose President Trumps actions is immaterial.  What is important is that AirBnB has apparently taken a very public stance. Brian Cheskey has done something that will undoubtedly garner praise and support from about half of the U.S. Population, and thoroughly piss off the other half.  (Yeah... Yeah...  I know... AirBnB is a Global Company.  But it is based here in the U.S.  And it is the U.S. Hosts on both sides of the political spectrum who are going to suffer the consequences.)

Whether you support or are horrified by President Trump's actions, roughly half of your prospective guests hold the opposite view.  Cheskey may be the CEO, but we are all AirBnB.  We "Share" the face of the company.  Whether you agree with Cheskey or not, half of all our potential guests are now pissed off at us. We "Share" the receiving end of the traveling public's ire.

My wife and I live in a very small town.  Something we never do is put a political sign in our lawn. Because we recognize that by showing our support for a particular candidate, we are alienating the supporters of his or her opponent.  Our business is dependent upon the support and patronage of the entire community.

The actions of President Trump may well have negatively impacted travel to the U.S. from all parts of the globe for years to come. We could be looking at substantialy fewer foreign visitors. As hosts, our business will be even more dependent upon the domestic traveler than ever before.  AirBnB's Public Comments have undoubtedly offended a good percentage of the guests we all depend upon.

Remember MySpace? Napster? AOL...

[David126]

I was reading LA Times online and there was an article about Uber and the recent situation, seems they put ther foot in it as well and there is a campaign to delete their Apps.

[Jeannette0]

Oh yeah, Grubhub rashly decided to take sides, and the public responded with app deletions galore.

[Naomi50]

Divided we'll fall. Its hard to stay centered right now. Keep trying.

[Tracy0]

I think it's unfortunate if people are taking this out on hosts as individuals in their properties - it's like yelling at a cashier for something totally out of her control.  But I can understand wanting to vote with feet (or delete!) It goes both ways.  It's action. Wether it means something remains to be seen.