In this photo illustration an Airbnb logo displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via GettAfter a Texas native took to Twitter to share that a Dallas-area Airbnb host declined his booking request, the online short-stay market launched a survey to confirm the bias, according to informations.
Curtis Kimberlin Jr. posted a screenshot of her boyfriend’s conversation with said Airbnb host on Jan. 7, which quickly gained attention on Twitter. As usual when submitting a booking request, Kimberlin’s partner shared details of the couple’s trip to Dallas and offered to answer any questions.
The host only had one, apparently.
“So, I’m going to house two men who sleep together…right?” the man asked the couple.
In Kimberlin’s Twitter activity, he says the host rejected the couple’s request because of their sexual orientation. MySA reached out to Kimberlin for comment, but did not receive a statement from the Dallas native.
Airbnb has since suspended the host at the center of the controversy as well as opened an investigation into the incidentaccording to a statement provided to NBCDFW.com, a news affiliate of NBC TV in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Platform hosts cannot refuse guests based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The San Francisco-based company has a non-discrimination policy in which violations will result in investigation and take appropriate action.
While Kimberlin said Airbnb reached out to him and his partner, he told Dallas-Fort Worth TV the response was “corporate” with no follow-up to their knowledge.
Comments are closed.