> I think it's unreasonable to say that all home-sharers must act like hotels.

First, Airbnb hosts are not "sharing" their homes. They're renting them out for financial profits.

Second, the name is literally Airbnb, as in "Bed and Breakfast". Most B&Bs don't get anything close to that amount of information, and it's illegal for them to discriminate on the basis of protected classes, just like hotels.

> First, Airbnb hosts are not "sharing" their homes. They're renting them out for financial profits.

Respectfully, I disagree. If you allow someone to stay in the home you live in while you're away, to sleep in your bed, to cook in your kitchen, drink from your cups, and so on, you are most definitely sharing your home. It doesn't matter if you profit or not for that to be true.

I know a lot of Airbnb hosts aren't doing this. They're renting out places they never lived in. There's a big difference.

I disagree with your disagreement, and I don't see why that should have anything to do with not having to follow the law.

Screening guests =/= racism

I, personally, am not arguing that discrimination isn't wrong (though some other threads have clarified the actual legality). I'm just saying that the methods Airbnb has chosen to prevent said discrimination also make it impossible for me to host and those methods are shaky at best.

It may not be racism, but it's certainly discrimination, in the sense that you are selecting who gets to conduct business with you based upon subjective criteria.

Whenever you

- book a flight,

- buy bread or milk, or

- get a girl friend

you discrimate in favor of one and against all others.

Subjective discrimination is the only way to choose, discrimination is the sure consequence of your every choice.

What you are talking about is as far away from AirBNB as selling call options on AAPL on NASDAQ is to selling an iPhone on craigslist.

Airbnb has not done anything to make it impossible for you to host.

Airbnb skirts regulations by pretending its not a hotel service; you can't have it both ways.

There are plenty of smaller, older, hotels where the owner lives on site.

"Because I'm renting out my personal residence."

That's your choice. No one made you.

"Why should we lump hotels and my apt into the same bucket? They are different types of businesses"

They really aren't. They provide the same service.

"I think it's unreasonable to say that all home-sharers must act like hotels."

I don't. Especially with regards to anti-discrimination laws.

Ok, maybe a better analog is that Airbnb should have rules adhering to the laws for landlords?