Airbnb's Brand of Belonging: The Influence Host Discrimination Plays During COVID-19

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Airbnb is a home-sharing rental model facilitating the rental of living spaces between ordinary citizens that distinguishes itself within the hospitality industry. Since Airbnb's rebranding in 2014 has associated its mission with "belonging." Belonging describes one of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs that motivates us all. However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck the hospitality industry entirely. With Airbnb being a brand focused on "belonging," there is still an appeal and comfortability to using Airbnb rentals. Concerns of public health due to COVID-19 can influence a trend toward discrimination. Nonetheless, these reports have the potential to threaten the reputation of Airbnb's brand of "belonging" and home-sharing model.

Objective: This study aims to discover if Airbnb hosts' sense of belonging has altered since COVID-19, and if discrimination faces a threat to its home-sharing model people.

Design and Method: The research method is based on current literature from Purchase Library online database and Google Scholar's online database. Afterward, virtual face-to-face conversations with three Airbnb hosts ask them about their hosting experience since March 2020, when COVID-19 was first declared a national emergency. Convenience sampling utilizes the select participants based on availability and willingness to participate, all hosting within 50 miles of NYC. Airbnb's sense of belonging since the pandemic and the threat of discrimination is assessed through conservational questions between the research and the three participants that volunteered. Airbnb hosts are questioned about their knowledge of Airbnb's racial bias training and thoughts of Airbnb's Anti-discrimination policy. Racial bias training is essential because people are less likely to be detected for discrimination if they are less aware of their racial bias. The participants' information, including their location, hosting experience, and appeal to hosting is compiled and reported in Phase II of the Results section. The research question is: How has the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the Airbnb Rental Model?

Results: The significance of this study reflects that the sense of belonging is still vital to hosts. Nevertheless, COVID-19 has altered the way hosts feel about guest complaints and anxious about catching the virus. Airbnb's hosts raise concerns about being labeled discriminatory and the sense of added trust there is with guests when hosts live on the premises.

Conclusions: COVID-19 has caused a disruption in Airbnb-mode of belonging. Airbnb's internal team's lay-offs have brought an understaffed customer service team and, nonetheless, undervalued hosts. Hosts need to gain further trust in their customer service team.

Keywords: Airbnb, discrimination, COVID-19, hospitality industry, brand of belonging