What is Airbnb All About?
The rise of Airbnb, the on-line residence rental company, is obviously a success. Greater than 50 million guests have actually rented lodging via the website which, are monster numbers given that it was released to the public in 2008. There are now more than 1.5 million listings on the website today.
With that development comes a significant inquiry of safety and security as it should when something grows this quickly. We’ve all heard the tales of Airbnb visitors trashing rental residential properties or disturbing the neighbors. But now a terrible story from an Airbnb traveler which claims his host secured him in his area of the rental and also sexually abused him. This story of course has people rethinking the use of this service because of incidents like this…Is it safe…It it secure and is the savings worth the risk when you are dealing with an unfamiliar person that you are staying with for the short term.
On July 4, Jacob Lopez was renting an Airbnb room with his host in Madrid when he claims his host locked him in the apartment or condo, began shaking knives in the cooking area and also begged him to take part in a sex-related act with him, according to the N.Y Times.
Lopez anxiously texted his mom back in the U.S. She called the police station in Madrid but got no feedback. She called Airbnb, but she says they were not able to tell her exactly where her kid was.
It’s a traveler’s worst nightmare, and also while the Airbnb host denies the charges, it’s not unexpected that Airbnb occupants can find themselves in terrifying situations when relying on that the information offered on the listing is proper and true.
“Airbnb exclusive rentals are different and a lot more comfortable compared to checking into an established-branded hotel. I guess that’s the appeal and that you could often find a fantastic price in a great area of your travels. But this story points out that making private plans could be hit and miss because of absence of administration, quality assurance, as well as conformity with laws created to shield guests,” says Chris McGoey, an office security professional.
“In a hotel we take things for granted like a neighborhood direct-dial phone, 24 hour employees, as well as concierge personnel,” he stated.
Airbnb provided a declaration regarding the Madrid case, saying it would transform its safety and security policies to enable occupants to consist of an emergency call contacts on their profiles as well as make it less complicated to discuss their travel schedules with friends and family.
“While the problem of sexual assault is a global problem – as well as different regulations in various nations affect exactly what an internet platform can do to aid and assist in these matters – there is nothing more important to us than the safety and security of our community,” Airbnb stated in a declaration to Yahoo Travel recently.
“At the time that this occurred, over 800,000 people remained on Airbnb around the globe, and also 70,000 were staying on Airbnb in Spain. Yet even one occurrence is one too many, and while no industry has a 100 percent safety and security record, that’s what we strive for,” the business claimed. “This circumstance was special. We understand we could discover a whole lot from this occurrence and also we can do better. We are clarifying our plans to make sure that our team will still contact law enforcement if we are alerted of an unexpected emergency circumstance that is in progress. Safety and security is our leading concern and also we intend to obtain service and assistance to our hosts and also our travelers at all times.”
There are things you could do to assist in your security and well being. Airbnb travelers could help their own cause in security and safety by communicating with family and or friends and giving them information on their travels and plans in case of an emergency or problem. Likewise, be sure to search for info regarding the renters online– and not just in the Airbnb comments section – for any type of problems or suspicions that come to mind. Don’t hesitate to ask the occupant if you need to know something or any general concerns or perhaps to check with previous guests for additional information concerning their experience as a guest in that location.
“The various other lesson to be discovered right here is whenever you stay in a new place acquaint yourself with the environment and also make a minimum game plan for unexpected emergencies (e.g. clinical, natural calamities, authorities),” McGoey suggests. “It just takes a few minutes of thought ahead and asking the appropriate questions.”
Make sure you understand the number for unexpected emergency solutions where you’re staying.
Still, relying on where you’re traveling, McGoey says, “if you are traveling alone it could be more secure to remain in a branded hotel with a 24-hour on-site staff.”
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