Summary of "Trying to appear "not too black" on Airbnb is exhausting," by Norrinda Brown Hayat. In the article she discusses her personal accounts and those of others who have faced discrimination from host when trying to book reservations on Airbnb. There has been complaints of manipulation by the host of various residences on Airbnb. Airbnb has since released new policies on anti-discrimination. The company also plans to combat the issue by implementing a feature that will help prevent host from having the ability to pick and choose who they can rent to.
Airbnb has more listing than the Marriot; which is the most well-known hotel chain around the world. There was a study done by professors at Harvard business school that state, "requests from guests with distinctively African-American names are roughly 16% less likely to be accepted than identical guests with distinctively White names," Hayat mentions having to drop indicators, like her occupation, or her level of education in order to come across as a "suitable" candidate. She also mentions a lawsuit that was filed, Selden v. Airbnb. The host rejected the first application and then after changing the application to appear more white, he was then accepted. Airbnb says that they do not condone, racism, harassment, bigotry, or hatred.
Hayat goes on to say that despite Airbnb's efforts, people will always find a way to discriminate. She states that is not their fault and that the real issue is racism. The article states that if Airbnb cannot control their host and control the discrimination against blacks then people will be forced to do without. There is always the Marriot, although Airbnb has more listing than the Marriot. It is the most well-known hotel chain around the world and they provide equal treatment.
Hayat, Norrinda Brown. "Trying to appear "not too black" on Airbnb." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/12/opinions/too-black-rent-airbnb-hayat/