While hotels are still the number one choice for travelers seeking comfortable and reasonably priced accommodations, AirBnB is rapidly increasing in popularity.
AirBnB is an app that lets people view and put up advertisements of properties which can be rented to customers who want an alternative option for places to stay in, other than the usual hotel and inn.
However, AirBnB is currently handling some allegations which are concerning the fact that there are various incidents of discrimination on the part of AirBnB hosts.
People who previously used the AirBnB app have filed complaints that they have not been allowed to stay at certain properties just because they were people of color, most especially - they were black.
As reported by Susan Edmunds of Stuff, "Now those who own property for rent on the site are being told they must sign up to a "community commitment" that starts on November 1. That means owners agree to treat everyone with respect, and without judgment or bias, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, disability, gender identity, age or sexual orientation."
Those who refuse to sign the "community commitment" will not be allowed to take any reservations.
Brian Chesky, the CEO of AirBnB wrote an email to the users of the app, addressing the matter: "Bias and discrimination have no place on Airbnb, and we have zero tolerance for them. Unfortunately, we have been slow to address these problems, and for this I am sorry. I take responsibility for any pain or frustration this has caused members of our community. We will not only make this right; we will work to set an example that other companies can follow."
According to Emma Hinchliffe of Mashable, aside from publicizing a 32-page report which summarized a brand new non-discrimination rule as well as the implementation of methods to get rid of racial prejudice on its platform, AirBnB will also make an anti-bias training accessible to its hosts.
The company is also hiring an entire team of engineers, designers, researchers and data scientists to concentrate on eradicating bias on the app.
The photos which are seen on the platform are seen by some as the root of discrimination and will be re-evaluated by this team.
However, upon release of these advantageous steps, people are still dissatisfied with the amount of progress AirBnB is making when it comes to the issue of completely removing unfair racial practices; insisting that these actions were simply insufficient.
In a statement, New York City Councilman Donovan Richards said, "Instead of taking concrete action to address discrimination, like moving to an anonymous profile system as other online marketplaces use or removing their requirement that users waive their right to take legal action when facing discrimination, Airbnb is playing the crisis communications game to hide from their responsibility. Their lack of action will continue to leave people of color unprotected against civil rights violations."
from ABCNews: Airbnb Outlines New Policies to Combat Racism Accusations
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
