"We apologize for any trauma": AirBnB slave cabin controversy explained as company issues response

Vacation rental company Airbnb issued an apology after being called out for enlisting a 1830s slave cabin for a luxurious stay.

On August 1, the California-based company removed the listing of a Mississippi "slave cabin," which was conveyed as a bed-and-breakfast place. This was done after TikTok user @LawyerWinton posted screenshots of the 1830s building and pointed out its history.

In a statement issued to USA Today, Airbnb authorities apologized and said:

"Properties that formerly housed the enslaved have no place on Airbnb. We apologize for any trauma or grief created by the presence of this listing, and others like it, and that we did not act sooner to address this issue."

The viral video on TikTok garnered more than 2.6 million views at the time of writing. The "meticulously restored" structure was shifted from a nearby location to its current location and had customer reviews like "memorable" and "historic but elegant" describing their experience.

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What is the Airbnb "slave cabin" controversy?

The vacation rental company faced backlash after a New Orleans-based black lawyer named Wynton Yates shared a TikTok video with screenshots of the cabin. It was listed as The Panther Burn Cottage at Belmont Plantation in Mississippi's Greenville and according to its description, it was a slave cabin in the 1830s. It was later used as a sharecropper cabin and a "medical office for local farmers and their families."

In the video, Yates said:

“The history of slavery in this country is constantly denied and now it’s being mocked by being turned into a luxurious vacation spot. How is this okay in somebody’s mind to rent this out? A place where human beings were kept as slaves.”

The footage then shows a "Big House" and revealed that it is owned by the "super host" Brad Hauser, who acquired it in July. Yates then went onto read some of the reviews left by the guests which lauded the accommodation for its amenities and views.

Yates says in the video:

“We stayed in the cabin and it was historic but elegant.’ A slave cabin is elegant. ‘What a delightful place to step into history, southern hospitality, and stay a night or two!’ ‘Cool spot way better than a hotel!’ Maybe you’re thinking, OK maybe this’ll give people insight on how enslaved people had to live their living conditions? No not at all. Clawfoot tub, running water, tile, you know, nice lighting fixtures, water, towels, dresser."

Adding to that, Yates stated that the actual history of the cabin is not depicted at all. Neither the host nor Airbnb made any efforts to enlighten people about the actual conditions that the slaves lived in. Instead, guests were given facilities like running water and even Wi-Fi.

An Airbnb spokesperson said that the Greenville listing has been removed. The spokesperson added that the company is taking efforts to remove other known accommodations in the US that included slave quarters earlier.

As per Business Insider, several properties listed on Airbnb in Lousiana's New Orleans that are up for rent earlier served as accommodation for slaves.