Airbnb Spotlights Continued 'Booking Bias' Issues, Boldly Doing So with Transparency Welcomed By Many

It’s encouraging to see #transparency coming from San Francisco-based Airbnb’s #leadership team as it continues its anti-#discrimination efforts, in particular those related to ‘bookings bias.’ 

The findings in their most recent report, which investigates bias in their reservation system, show that bookings bias continues. During 2021, guests who made a booking that were perceived to be #Black achieved a 91.4% acceptance rate, compared to 94.1% for those perceived to be white and 93.4% for those perceived to be #Asian and #Latino or #Hispanic.

Airbnb have openly acknowledged that the problem of bias in bookings isn’t solved, but as Airbnb’s Director of #Community Partner Programs and #Engagement Janaye Ingram so succinctly put it “You can’t fix what you can’t measure," and they now have the tools well in place to track progress against their goals.

Combined with the #leadership will to drive change, the tools in place give hope and possibility that these ongoing booking biases will, one day, disappear.

#betterbusiness