This LGBTQ-Friendly Alternative to Airbnb Helps Gay Travelers Feel Safe

[Celerity]

https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/misterbnb-gay-friendly-travel-accommodations/travel

One of the big fundamental problems with Airbnb (alongside its catastrophic tendency to inflate housing prices) is that a lot of people who open their home to travelers don’t actually want their home open to all of them.

The site is well-known for it’s rampant discrimination problem -- people with traditionally black names are disproportionately rejected when trying to book; queer couples have been kicked out by hosts who were expecting a straight couple -- and while the company has updated its anti-discrimination policies over the years, it’s remained difficult for people of marginalized identities to feel confident they’ll be safe, welcome, or wanted in Airbnb-listed homes. For LGBTQ travelers, there’s an alternative: misterb&b.

Having grown into the largest gay hospitality service in the world since being founded in 2013, the website lists exclusively gay-friendly hosts, numbering at more than 300,000, spread across 100-plus countries. Though Airbnb is expanding its own business model to also include hotels, misterb&b has always included gay-owned (or gay-friendly) hotels in its listings, along with LGBTQ-friendly city guides, and a blog highlighting gay travel news.

Robert Veith, a 29-year-old graphic designer in Philadelphia who identifies as a gay man, was planning a trip to San Francisco and browsing Airbnbs when he started getting targeted Facebook ads for misterb&b. “It was my first time traveling alone, and I wanted to make sure I was in a place that was comfortable with LGBTQ people,” Veith said. “I wanted to be in a safe environment, and y’know, San Francisco is known for its gay culture. I was hoping I could meet some people who would maybe show me the ropes, show me around, and give me a better look at the city.”

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[Merlot]

1. This both good and sad.

Sad that it's needed, that some AirBnB hosts have made things bad. I can't imagine that most AirBnB hosts would be discriminatory, but some definatly are. It's tricky opening up your house to strangers, you have to be ready for everything. As long as the person has legitimate reviews they should be ok. People with no reviews I would generally give extra vetting to.