Airbnb Tweaks Instant Book Requirements to Reduce Rejection of Black Guests and Newbies
Photo Credit: Airbnb took steps to reduce the rejection of reservations from people perceived to be Black and also others new to the platform who don't have a track record with hosts. Airbnb
Skift Take
Airbnb's changes undoubtedly won't solve the issue of traveling on "Airbnb while Black," and the company isn't claiming they will. One can hope that there will at least be modest progress with more steps to come.
People perceived to be African American or Black still see their prospective Airbnb reservations rejected by hosts at higher rates than any other racial group, but the company made changes to Instant Book last month to attempt to ease the injustice.
Airbnb stated Tuesday in a six-year update on its anti-discrimination efforts that starting in November it updated the Instant Book setting option recommendations for hosts. That allows them to choose to let guests take advantage of this automated reservation feature even if no hosts have previously submitted reviews of them and their stays. After an Airbnb stay, both guests and hosts can review one another.
Previously, Airbnb recommended that hosts enable Instant Book — which has no host intervention — for guests who had a least
