Congressman Rips Airbnb Harlem Tours For Promoting Gentrification

HARLEM, NY — Harlem's Congressman Adriano Espaillat is picking a fight with online rental giant Airbnb following the announcement of the company's new "Harlem Experience Tours." Espaillat, in a letter to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, accuses the company of "exotifying our community for corporate profit."

“Airbnb’s ‘Harlem Experiences’ platform sounds like it was tailor made to promote the rapid gentrification of our community," Espaillat said in the letter.

Espaillat also railed against Airbnb for lobbying against affordable housing laws in New York City and its poor treatment of black hosts compare to white ones.

But Airbnb thinks Espaillat needs to get his facts straight.

A spokesman for Airbnb told Patch that Espaillat's assertions are based on a report from Inside Airbnb — an organization Airbnb claims is "anti-home sharing." The Inside Airbnb report claimed that Airbnb promoted racial gentrification in black neighborhoods, but an Airbnb spokesman told Patch that the report has been debunked.

"Put simply, this is not an academic report. It has not been peer-reviewed. And it does not use a methodology worthy of attention. Rather, it seizes on discredited and offensive methods to make a false argument about Airbnb’s impact on Black neighborhoods," reads an Airbnb blog post addressing the report.

Airbnb launched its "Harlem Experience Tours" this week as part of its Trips platform. Trips, launched by Airbnb in 2016, allows Airbnb users to connect with community members for guided activities and tours. Planned tours for Harlem include "El Barrio Expedition," "Street Fashion," "Scentsational Harlem," "Bikes and Bites" and "Urban Grown."

The Harlem Experience Tours hosts are neighborhood residents who also work within Harlem, an Airbnb spokesman told Patch.

"Harlem Experiences offer a chance to get to know the people and places driving the neighborhood’s world-famous food, art, music, and nightlife," read an Airbnb press release.

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