As popular home-sharing platform Airbnb continues to work to combat recent incidents of discrimination, new startups like Noirebnb are launching in hopes of creating a more accepting and inclusive environment for travelers seeking vacation rentals.
So it's only appropriate that Noirebnb has transitioned to Innclusive.com, the company announced this week.
"Be yourself," the site's homepage reads. "Rent welcoming and affordable places from amazing hosts in 130-plus countries."
Developed by Rohan Gilkes and Zakihhah Meyers, Innclusive was at least partly inspired by an incident similar to many of those that have been documented on social media websites with the hashtag #AirbnbWhileBlack. In a post on Medium.com last month, Gilkes wrote about a troubling experience in which he was denied a rental in Idaho, while his white friend was approved shortly after.
[READMORE] READ MORE: Does Airbnb Have a Discrimination Problem? [/READMORE]
Innclusive.com, which aims to launch in the coming weeks, isn't the only startup set to launch in response to the growing frustration among black Airbnb users. A similar service, Noirbnb also hopes to launch this summer.
"The future of Black travel is here," the website states. "Join us."
Experiences like Gilkes' have become all too common for black Airbnb users. One incident even led a Washington, D.C. area man to file a lawsuit against the San Francisco-based company last month.
[READMORE] READ MORE: How is Airbnb Fighting Racism? [/READMORE]
More recently, Airbnb banned a North Carolina host for life after he made racist comments in the process of rejecting a black female renter.
Since then, the company has announced it has zero tolerance for discrimination and confirmed that it's working to combat the problem. In the meantime it appears travelers will have more Airbnb-style options when it comes to searching for and booking short-term rentals.
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