Airbnb Users Slam 'Racist' Property Owners For Declining Their Booking Enquiries

#1 A man's booking enquiry was rejected, but when he changed his profile picture everything changed

When Greg Selden, 25, from Virginia, USA, made an enquiry about booking a house on Airbnb, he was told there was no availability.

The host responded: "Hi Gregory! Thanks for your inquiry. Unfortunately the place is not available."

#2 The Airbnb's booking request was rejected because 'the place was not available'

Sensing something wasn't quite right with host's response, and noticing that the dates that were rejected even though they were listed as ‘available', Greg decided to conduct a little experiment.

Changing his profile picture to an image of a white man called Jessie, Greg messaged the property owner.

He asked if there was any chance of making a booking on the same day at the same time.

Instead of rejecting ‘Jessie's' request, the host responded: "Please go ahead and book it if you are interested".

#3 Miraculously, after Greg changed his profile picture, the property became available again

Greg suggests that the Airbnb host declined his enquiry purely because of the colour of his skin.

Switching back to his real account, Greg politely messaged the property owner saying: "I just want to let you know that I'm quite aware of you not renting to me because of my skin colour."

#4 Greg politely informed the Airbnb host that he knew he was being discriminated against

Strongly denying the accusation, the home owner replied: "That's totally not true...

"It's a disappointment people like you always victimize yourself solely on the basis of your skin colour. Good luck."

#5 Greg kept his cool when the host denied the accusations and warned him about the screenshot evidence

Months after complaining to Airbnb about his experience and still receiving no response, Greg decided to take matters into his own hands.

He tweeted: "#AirbnbWhileBlack made a fake profile as a white guy and was accepted immediately."

Since sharing screenshots of the two different Airbnb exchanges with host Todd, dozens of other Twitter users claimed that they had also experienced "racism" on the popular property website.

#6 Twitter users supported Greg's accusations, insisting that more should be done to combat racism on Airbnb

One Twitter user remarked: "This is my life on Airbnb! They need to kick these people off the site for discrimination."

Another said: "I'm not surprised. I tried to book one, I was unsuccessful. Filed a complaint, never heard back."

A spokesperson from Airbnb told Buzzfeed News: "We recognize that bias and discrimination present significant challenges, and we are taking steps to address them.

"Profile photos are an important part of our community and are one of the many tools that help hosts and guests connect with one another.

"We welcome the opportunity to work with anyone that can help us reduce potential discrimination in the Airbnb community."