Great blog article on Airbnb and discrimination

[Andrea9]

Hello fellow hosts,

I would like to share with you this great and very well-balanced blog article re. the pressure we are getting under the guise of  "anti-discrimination" regulation from Airbnb, certain individuals with an axe to grind, and the pretty much biased media needing to garner sales to survive (these last bits are my own words).

There seems to be increasing pressure by all kinds of souls with an overly-entitled attitude, individuals feeling the whole world is out to hate them, and cry-babies not used to facing rejections. They want regulations to force people to be 'punished' for not accepting them. Heck, they probably never even consider they might be rejected for other reasons. Like maybe they just looked like a punk in the picture or another gal who will probably irreparably stain your towels with her make-up layers... or didn't come across as a good potential guest in their text like the 4 young men looking for an apartment during spring break...).

The most important summary in this article is this for me:

…..I think Airbnb could clarify, that “Airbnb listings are the properties of private individuals who have sole discretion about whom to invite into their private homes.” Such a statement would help clarify, to those who are pointing fingers and scapegoating Airbnb, that as a third party it is not and cannot be responsible for the choices of its hosts…who are not running hotels, but offering space in their homes. Instead of accepting the accusations of racism/discrimination  as a challenge, a tech problem to figure out how to solve,  and rising up to meet this challenge with world-class consultation and technology, in my view Airbnb would have done much better to clarify that hosts, not Airbnb, are accepting guests, and hosts have freedom, and they aren’t obligated to accept anyone.

https://globalhostingblogs.com/2016/08/27/airbnb-and-discrimination/

[Jayne20]

I fully agree, Rob. As far as "Smart" pricing goes, I absolutely refuse to use it! There is nothing smart about it!! I live in Miami, one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world, and when other places are cold and bookings go down (not counting ski resort areas, of course) Miami jumps into their "Seasonal Rates", where hotels charge as much as three times the summer rates. And yet the smart pricing model is advising me to lower my prices substantially, during the time of the year when I am able to make the most from my listing. Not smart at all! I have mentioned this to one of the customer support agents at AirBnB - who by the way, in my experience, have one of the best customer service departments of all the companies I've ever had the pleasure of doing business with, and that agent explained it is just a computer-generated algorthym and they cannot adjust it for special circumstances, like weather and events, etc.

And as for "Instant Booking"...I don't consider that to be at all safe for a single woman who lives in the apartment being listed. I want to have the opportunity to do my own screening, whether it's through AIrBnB email corresponding or looking online to see what I can find out about the potential guest in advance. I used Instant Booking once when it first rolled out and consider myself lucky that I got a good guest...but it made me nervous, so to me it's not worth the stress and risk, for the extra bookings a host might get as a result. I'll take quality over quantity any day! 🙂

I agree with one of the other host who wrote a comment that we as hosts allowing a stranger to come into our homes should have the right to refuse someone who puts a picture up where they look like a punk or like the 4 guys looking for a sping break pad. I had one guy who put a picture of a park as his profile picture...that's not scary...much!! We need to protect our right to CHOOSE who we allow into our homes, and not be penalized for it!

As hosts, we need to protect our rights to feel and stay safe in this world...especially in the U.S. where people are being followed home and robbed in their own driveways...or at ATMs and gas stations. Let's not forget about the Craigslist Killer who lured people to be murdered through a lsiting ad. I am a positive person, love hosting and meeting new (respectful) people, have been a Super Host on AirBnB for over a year, and appreciate the opportunity to participate in free enterprise, however, we need to speak up as a community when it comes to protecting our rights, which are being erroded more and more each year.

I'm not one to jump on discussion boards to go back & forth with people...just want to voice my opinion for the record. Thanks! 

[Paula200]

Hello Robin,

I totally agree with you.  I do not use Smart Pricing.  I will not agree to Airbnb driving our rates down in order for them to achieve profit through volume.

If I decide to use Smart Pricing, it will be because I have researched the marketplace for myself and based on my other sources of bookings.

[Nancy207]

Good for you.

[Andrea9]

PS: I couldn't edit anymore to clarify, but I can't take credit for the last brilliant paragraph, It is a quote from the blog.

[David126]

The recent thread about Trump Supporters amused me, whenever you get into what are essentially philosophical questions then often there is no solution and certainly if there is it is unlikely to be simple.

I have no idea how in practice this policy can be enforced as written. So I am going to conclude it is mainly for show, we did something. Whether that something makes sense is immaterial.

The odd thing in my mind is that it was launched as being a Community issue but only seems to be applied to Hosts.

Logically there should be more issues involving Guests, there are for a start far more of them.

[Andrea9]

@David126

" there should be more issues involving Guests, there are for a start far more of them."

Alas, should be more difficult to enforce. Guests are the clients, and pop in once in a while to book, so don't want to scare them away. On the other side Airbnb's machine park of hosts have gotten so hooked on the extra cash flow they are less likely to give that up and are thus easier to put under pressure IMO.

[David126]

@Andrea9

I was being a bit cynical, the practicality of this position strikes me as being very doubtful for Hosts or Guests.

But if you follow through on the logic both should apply, I seem to recollect there was only the option of reporting a Host.

[Ange2]

@Andrea9   " in my view Airbnb would have done much better to clarify that hosts, not Airbnb, are accepting guests, and hosts have freedom, and they aren’t obligated to accept anyone."  

Great review and most sensible suggestion.  But, I'll bet there is a very important business reason for this or they would have said: not our problem, we just run the site, we're middle-men. I am not exactly sure what Airbnb is anymore.

[David126]

@Ange2

There is a court case going on in Europe at the moment involving Uber, has been referred to as a major case for the 'sharing' economy.

Obviously Uber are seeking to argue they are a technology not transportation company.

AirBnB presumably take a similar argument, however when they get involved in these sort of issues it weakens their position significantly. 

Uber Drivers have argued succesfully in some areas that they are employees not contractors, will be interesting to see what happens here.

[Ange2]

@David126    Thank you. I have seen rumblings and I wondered how it might affect Airbnb.  Too much to hope that some visionary law makers will see the new challenges in the 'sharing' economy and propose new rules and and laws to address them instead of always trying to fit a square peg in a round hole that was also created for different reasons in a different market.

[David126]

I have a feelng that AirBnB, Uber etc would love to have a set of laws that suited them....

The more I think about it the more impractical it is, I know there are many different booking sites for example and I am sure none of them are identical.

Not sure if I buy into the 'sharing' aspect, people have always rented accomodation, the main difference I see is that the technology allows more people to do it easier over larger areas.

Uber, well Taxis/Mini Cabs are nothing new either.

[Ange2]

I was thinking more about the hosts who have little protection as is.

[David126]

@Ange2

Sadly I think that is unlikely.

[Blagoje0]

Some hosts finds IB good and convenient and some hosts feels uncofortable to use IB.

What would you say if Airbnb make two new check box when guest open Airbnb site:

1)    Listings you can book without waiting for host approval to stay at their place

2)   Listings you can book after host approve your stay at their place.

Hosts who dont feel confortable useing IB wont be mixed up with hosts who do use it and be pushed down in favor of IB users because they would have their own check box and also have a full control of who they choose to accommodate.

So my qouestion to those who dont feel confortable useing IB is - would you be satisfied with that solution and place your accomodation visible in check box number 2?

[Sharon16]

What a spledid suggestion. They are tech experts, it should be difficult for them to do

Sharon