Airbnb Host Who Offered Stay In ‘peaceful White Neighborhood’ Sued For Rejecting Black Guest

An Airbnb big who listed his Atlanta-area location arsenic being situated successful a “peaceful achromatic neighborhood” is accused of rejecting a impermanent aft uncovering retired she was Black, according to a national suit obtained by The Independent.

When Sharona Stewart booked a enactment astatine nan 6-bed, 6-bath property, she exchanged “cordial” messages pinch proprietor George Yu Shihfang, a “superhost” connected nan online rental platform, her title states.

But erstwhile Shihfang began asking “racially based questions” of Stewart, and realized she was a personification of color, nan title says he abruptly stopped responding and canceled her reservation.

Stewart, who is successful her mid-30s, promptly reported nan business to Airbnb, pointing retired nan “racially preferential language” utilized successful Shihfang’s ad, nan title goes on. However, it alleges, Airbnb “closed [her] complaint, refused to return action, and allowed nan discriminatory advertisement to remain.”

“Defendant Airbnb knew aliases should person known that discriminatory practices were occurring connected its platform,” nan title argues.

Attorney Bataski Bailey, who is representing Stewart, told The Independent that his customer was treated successful a “grotesque” manner.

“Airbnb is astir apt a trillion-dollar business astatine this point,” Bailey said. “With AI and different tools, it should beryllium capable to put checks successful spot that drawback things for illustration this. That didn't hap here.”

Bailey said he “can’t ideate really galore different group knowledgeable nan aforesaid thing,” and that filing nan suit was basal to guarantee group favoritism is not permitted to beryllium without pushback.

“We person to telephone it retired erstwhile we spot it, and nan only point we tin do astatine this infinitesimal is record a suit and clasp them accountable,” he said, adding that Stewart had “all but mislaid hope” that she mightiness yet person immoderate recourse.

An Airbnb spokesperson declined to remark connected nan record, citing ongoing litigation.

Shihfang, whose Airbnb floor plan describes him arsenic a existent property developer who now lives successful Mexico, was incapable to beryllium reached.

Black residents dress up 46 percent of Atlanta’s population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

On June 2, 2024, Stewart was searching Airbnb for disposable semipermanent accommodations, and happened upon a promising listing successful nan able Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody, Georgia.

“Complete pinch a tennis court, excavation and jacuzzi. Home to 1 retired of 30 Giant Meta Sequoia successful nan southbound eastbound [sic],” it read, according to her complaint. “Native to nan Pacific West Coast nan 250+ twelvemonth aged character is what this unsocial Mansard Roof Home was built astir successful 1965.”

Stewart submitted a preservation petition for nan property, and “communications pinch [Shihfang] were cordial and indicated apt approval,” explains nan complaint, which was revenge May 29 successful Atlanta national court.

Yet, it goes on, “Upon learning Plaintiff’s title done circumstantial racially based questions, Defendants changed their behaviour toward Plaintiff.”

Shihfang and a brace of unnamed spot managers, who are listed arsenic “John Doe” defendants alongside Airbnb itself, “refused to respond further to [Stewart’s] preservation petition aliases inquiries, which resulted successful a rejection of [her] preservation petition connected nan Airbnb app,” nan title states.

It was only past that Stewart studied nan listing much closely, paying peculiar attraction to nan explanation nether “Neighborhood Highlights,” according to nan complaint.

“Peaceful achromatic neighborhood,” it read. “The property is connected 2 1/2 acres successful a backstage oasis. No neighbors around.”

Shocked, Stewart notified Airbnb astir what she had allegedly experienced, nan title says. Yet, it contends, nan institution took nary steps to hole it, and did not region Shihfang’s listing.

Shihfang and nan 2 John Does “intentionally discriminated” against Stewart, and applied “disparate standards” successful reviewing rental applications, and different violated her civilian rights, according to nan complaint. For Airbnb’s part, nan title accuses nan level of maintaining “policies, practices, customs aliases discretionary systems permitting title favoritism against African-American customers and/or different group minorities.”

“Defendant Airbnb knew aliases should person known that discriminatory practices were occurring connected its platform,” nan title states, alleging that, astatine slightest successful this instance, “similarly situated achromatic applicants were treated much favorably.”

A 2015 Harvard Business School study recovered that guests pinch “African-American-sounding names” were nearly 10 percent much apt to person their preservation requests rejected by Airbnb hosts than identical guests pinch “white” names. The pursuing year, Quirtina Crittenden, a Black traveler readying a travel to Miami, told ABC News that she faced unrelenting rejections until she reset her floor plan image to a nondescript cityscape and changed her screenname to “Tina.”

“[O]nce that happened, I ne'er had immoderate issues booking connected Airbnb,” Crittenden said.

In 2018, Airbnb changed its policies truthful that hosts would only spot a guest’s floor plan photograph aft they accepted a booking. In 2019, nan institution settled a suit pinch a trio of Black women who said they had been rejected by Airbnb hosts because of their race. And successful 2022, pinch racially-based rejections continuing to hap pinch apparently unacceptable frequency, Airbnb suspended astir 4,000 accounts globally for violating its nondiscrimination policy.

Airbnb says it specifically prohibits users from declining aliases canceling a booking based connected a person’s race, imposing different terms, conditions aliases location rules, aliases “indicating a penchant for aliases against a circumstantial type of guest.”

It besides prohibits hosts from utilizing its level to rent “former plantations wherever enslaved group lived aliases worked,” arsenic good arsenic “structures designed only to location enslaved people,” and “offerings that different glorify slavery.”

Yet, according to Stewart’s complaint, Airbnb has “failed to adequately prevent, investigate, show aliases remedy discriminatory conduct,” contempt “notice, complaints, anterior incidents, nationalist reporting, [and] soul data.”

“Airbnb materially participated successful nan transaction by controlling listings, communications, costs processing, level access, ratings, booking approvals, conflict procedures, and enforcement mechanisms,” it says. “Defendants’ behaviour was intentional, malicious, reckless, willful, wanton, and successful conscious disregard of Plaintiff’s federally protected rights.”

Stewart is alleging violations of nan U.S. Fair Housing Act, Georgia’s Fair Housing Act, 2 national civilian authorities statutes, and negligence. Her title says she has suffered, among different things, affectional distress, embarrassment and humiliation, inconvenience, and nonaccomplishment of lodging opportunity.

“She is doing arsenic good arsenic tin beryllium expected,” Bailey told The Independent. “Adulting is hard, and erstwhile you brushwood thing for illustration this, it makes it moreover harder. You expect to beryllium treated fairly, and erstwhile that doesn't happen, you almost don't cognize wherever to turn.”

The listing astatine nan halfway of nan conflict is yet down, Bailey said.

Stewart is now seeking general, special, compensatory, incidental, consequential and existent damages to beryllium wished by a jury, arsenic good arsenic attorneys’ fees and tribunal costs.