Airbnb’s carbon monoxide detector mandate would be ‘very difficult’, says CEO, despite deaths

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said the company is working to resolve customer complaints and safety concerns, but that there are limitations on what it can do to keep customers safe from problems like carbon monoxide poisoning.

In an interview with Hallie Jackson, which will air Sunday on “NBC Nightly News,” Chesky spoke about a wide range of issues facing the company, including consumer concerns about fees, the company’s new “Icons” program It is a recent “Saturday Night Live” skit that shook the company.

“It didn’t hurt,” Chesky said. “I felt, if anything, like we had a huge responsibility. We are part of the culture. The brand is a noun, a verb used all over the world.”

Airbnb remains arguably the most successful of its class of sharing economy companies, which have grown from startups to publicly traded companies over the past decade.

But Airbnb has also faced criticism around user experience and guest safety concerns.

Watch this interview on “NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson” tonight at 6:30pm ET/5:30pm CT.

Jackson asked about an NBC News investigation that found 19 deaths at Airbnbs over the past 10 years, reportedly due to carbon monoxide poisoning. After some of the first deaths occurred, the company committed to mandating carbon monoxide detectors in all listings by the end of 2014, but that mandate was never implemented.

Responding to a question about the mandate, Chesky said, “It’s very difficult to verify whether or not a property has a carbon monoxide detector, but we’re working very, very hard to make sure every property has a verified address. You understand where the location is, if there are any complaints about the property, we can respond.”

Airbnb operates in countries and states with a wide range of carbon monoxide regulations, which presents a difficult compliance challenge for the company. The company says it has advocated for the regulation of carbon monoxide detectors in several countries, but family members of people who have died in Airbnbs say the wide variability in local and international regulation is all the more reason for the company to set its own standard on carbon monoxide detectors. carbon monoxide.

“It’s really difficult to enforce rules in 220 countries, regions and cities around the world,” Chesky said. “And then if you demand something, you need to have a mechanism to verify that it happens.”

Asked if he was abandoning the commitment the company made 10 years ago, Chesky said: “I don’t know. I think we’re going to try to move forward to get the whole platform up and running to make sure it’s secure and verified.”

Over the past 10 years, Airbnb has made other efforts to try to include carbon monoxide detectors in its listings, including providing a free carbon monoxide detector per Airbnb host upon request. But the participation rate in that program appears to be low: Just 2.3% of its 7 million active listings have received carbon monoxide detectors through the program, according to a company statement in June. The company also sends notes to users who book properties without carbon monoxide detectors, alerting them via email about the potential risks.

A 2018 study in Injury Prevention magazine found that only 57.5% of US-based Airbnb locations were listed as having carbon monoxide detectors.

“There’s a really good question about, ‘Is a mandate the right approach?’” Chesky said. “But the absolutely correct approach is to ensure that every listing is secure. Every person is safe.”

Looking ahead, Chesky said the company is interested in taking advantage of the boom in artificial intelligence technology to help power its platform.

“What if an app could understand you, learn about your hopes, your dreams, and customize those itineraries just for you,” he said. “This is what AI can do.”