Airbnb apologizes after member robbery, PR debacle

Airbnb apologizes, acknowledging they were insensitive after a member was robbed by a guest Airbnb sent her.

Airbnb apologizes after a PR fiasco and nightmare for a member of their host community.

Screen capture/Airbnb.com

August 3, 2011

A company that connects travelers with people renting out their homes will soon offer property protection after a host in San Francisco had her home vandalized.

Airbnb.com CEO Brian Chesky announced on Monday that the company will cover up to $50,000 worth of property damage caused by people who rent through the website starting on Aug. 15.

The announcement came after a woman who rented out her home in San Francisco reported returning in June to find it ransacked and her personal property missing.

Chesky apologized to the woman, who has not been identified, and said the San Francisco-based company should have responded to her case faster and "more sensitively."

He says San Francisco police have taken a suspect into custody.