Airbnb and New Owner Apologize for Advertisement of ‘1830s Slave Hut’ Listed as Luxury Stay

Airbnb came under fire this week after a TikTok video went viral featuring a listing the owner described as an “1830s slave shack”. The company has since apologized and pledged to make changes to other “former slave quarters” listings.

The TikTok, captioned “It’s not ok,” shows screenshots of the rental unit, which was listed as “The Panther Burn Cottage @ Belmont Plantation” in Greenville, Mississippi.

“This particular structure, the Panther Burn Cabin, is an 1830s slave cabin on the existing Panther Burn plantation south of the Belmont. It was also used as a cabin for tenant sharecroppers and a medical practice for local farmers and their families to visit the plantation doctor,” reads a screenshot of the listing.

According to its website, the Belmont Plantation is the “last antebellum mansion along the river in the Mississippi Delta”. A cached page from the website shows the listing said it was the “sharecroppers’ cottage at the rear of the property; the most private space on the property and the only one with a TV”.

The man who posted the TikTok, Wynton Yates, continues to show pictures of the cabin, saying, “How can anyone think of renting this? A place where human beings were kept as slaves, rent it as bed and breakfast?

The listing had 4.97 out of 5 stars and 68 reviews, which the TikToker said was particularly noteworthy. Photos of the cottage show a clawfoot tub, tile and light fixtures. The listing also describes it as having “exquisite antique furniture” and “turndown service.” It also indicates that the cabin is the “last surviving structure” of the Panther Burn Plantation.

Screenshots of reviews in the TikTok show people saying it was a “memorable” stay. Another person said they “enjoyed everything about our stay” and that it “was a perfect stopover on our trek across the country.” Last March, one person said it was “a lovely place to step into history, southern hospitality and stay a night or two.”

“The history of slavery in this country is constantly denied and now it’s being mocked by turning it into a luxurious vacation spot,” the TikToker said, pointing to photos on the listing that show a clawfoot tub. and beautiful tiles and fixtures among other amenities. .

Airbnb told CBS News that “properties that once housed slaves have no place on Airbnb.”

“We apologize for any trauma or grief created by the presence of this listing, and others like it, and that we did not act sooner to resolve this issue.”

The company said it removed the listing and is removing other listings in the United States known to include former slave quarters. The company also said it was “working with experts” to create new policies that address properties that may otherwise be associated with slavery.

The lifespan of the listing on Airbnb was unclear. The Tiktok displays reviews from August 2021.

Following Airbnb’s apology, Yates released another video with an apology from property owner Brad Hauser, who said he had only owned the property for three weeks.

“I apologize for the decision to offer our guests a stay in ‘the slave quarter’ behind the 1857 pre-war house which is now a bed and breakfast. I also apologize for insulting African Americans whose ancestors were slaves,” Hauser wrote.

He went on to say that he “strongly opposed” the previous owner who marketed the building as a place where slaves resided and that the building “was never part of a plantation”.

“I’m not interested in making money from slavery,” he said. “The plan is and has been to no longer advertise the slave quarters. … I will provide guests with a historically accurate portrait of life when the Belmont was built and occupied by both the owners of the family home as well only by the about 80 slaves they bought who had no control over their own lives.”

According to Hauser, the building’s original owner told former owner Josh Cain, who listed the property on Airbnb, that it was not used as a slave quarters and was not old enough to house slaves. The building served more as a doctor’s office. State property records show Joshua B. Cain was previously listed as the owner.

“He also asked Cain to stop advertising it as a slave quarters when the building was acquired, he said. “Cain refused.”

He also said he would find experts to provide more information about the property and that he hoped “to right a terrible wrong”.