Airbnb says racism in home-sharing is a ‘really, really hard problem’

SAN FRANCISCO – Responding to a flurry of recent reports that Airbnb landlords discriminate against minority travelers, the home-sharing platform kicked off its annual conference Wednesday with a promise to change.

“First, let me make clear we have zero tolerance for any amount of racism or discrimination on our platform, and we take swift action whenever we hear about anything,” co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said during the OpenAir conference in San Francisco.

He called the issue of racism in home-sharing a “really, really hard problem,” but assured the audience: “I want to make sure everyone knows we are committed to solving this.”

Chesky and other Airbnb executives laid out broad strategies to fight bias Wednesday, but offered little in the way of concrete plans for reform. The company also announced three new product features intended to make it easier for groups of travelers and people traveling for business to book rooms on the platform.

A study by Harvard Business School earlier this year found that travelers with African-American-sounding names were 16 percent less likely to be given a room than travelers with white-sounding names. The study sparked a national outcry and the #AirbnbWhileBlack social media hashtag, which African-American travelers across the country are using to share stories of discrimination they experienced on the platform.

David King, Airbnb’s new director of diversity and belonging, said Airbnb plans to start training hosts on unconscious bias and make sure internal Airbnb employees have tools to handle reports of discrimination. King said Airbnb is conducting a review of its platform to assess what needs to change, which will conclude in September.

Mike Curtis, Airbnb vice president of engineering, also announced new booking features Wednesday. Collaborative Wish Lists make it easier for groups to plan stays together, allowing them to share and vote on potential listings. And Airbnb’s new multiparty review system allows each member of a group to review an Airbnb host, and vice versa.

Another feature, geared toward business travelers, allows secretaries or co-workers to book an Airbnb stay on someone else’s behalf – a practice that previously was frowned upon. The change showcases Airbnb’s focus on work-related travel, which Curtis said is becoming a bigger part of the platform’s business. The number of nights booked on Airbnb for business trips tripled in the first quarter of this year, Curtis said, and 50,000 companies have used the platform.

“We think it’s going to have a huge impact,” Curtis said of the new business-booking feature, “in terms of the experience and the number of companies that will choose Airbnb as the best way to travel for business.”