• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Lifestyle

Airbnb apologizes for ‘slave cabin’ listing after being called out on TikTok video

By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 3, 2022, 7:16 AM ET
Airbnb logo on a smartphone screen
In a statement emailed to Fortune on Wednesday, Airbnb said that properties that formerly housed enslaved people had “no place” on its platform.Budrul Chukrut—SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Airbnb has apologized and pulled a listing off its site that offered travelers a stay in the former slaves’ quarters of a Mississippi plantation.

In a series of TikTok videos posted over the past week, lawyer Wynton Yates called the rental platform out for accommodating a listing advertising “an 1830s slave cabin.”

According to screenshots of the now-deleted listing used in Yates’s videos, the property is on the site of Belmont Plantation in Greenville, Miss.

Its host was named as one of Airbnb’s so-called superhosts.  

The plantation’s main building is used as a bed and breakfast as well as a wedding venue, and the owners also offer tours of the site.

“This particular structure, the Panther Burn Cabin, is an 1830s slave cabin from the extant Panther Burn Plantation to the south of Belmont,” the Airbnb listing advertised.

“It has also been used as a tenant sharecroppers’ cabin and a medical office for local farmers and their families to visit the plantation doctor.”

Yates asked in his first video on the listing: “How is this ok in somebody’s mind to rent this out, a place where human beings were kept as slaves—rent this out as a bed and breakfast?”

@lawyerwynton

#airbnb this is not ok. #history #civilrights #americanhistory

♬ Blade Runner 2049 – Synthwave Goose

Yates also criticized some of the reviews the listing had been given by people who had stayed there, which described the cabin as “elegant,” “cool,” and “delightful.”

“Maybe you’re thinking that maybe this will give people insight on how enslaved people had to live—not at all,” he said, before pointing out that the cabin’s features included a claw-foot tub, running water, and nice lighting fixtures.

Yates argued that the listing was making a mockery of the history of slavery in the U.S. by turning the cabin into “a luxurious vacation spot.”

In a statement emailed to Fortune on Wednesday, Airbnb said that properties that formerly housed enslaved people had “no place” on its platform.

“We apologize for any trauma or grief created by the presence of this listing, and others like it, and that we did not act sooner to address this issue,” the company said.

It added that it had removed the listing and was removing other U.S. listings that are known to include former slave quarters.

“We are working with experts to develop new policies that address other properties associated with slavery,” the company’s spokesperson added.

Brad Hauser, owner of Belmont Plantation and the host of the Airbnb listing, told CNN on Tuesday that he had owned the property for three weeks and apologized for keeping the listing on Airbnb after taking over.

“I also apologize for insulting African Americans whose ancestors were slaves,” he said.

Hauser said that when he bought the property, he was told the building was not old enough to have ever housed enslaved people, telling CNN he “strongly opposed the previous owner’s decision to market the building as the place where slaves once slept after toiling in the cotton fields in human bondage.”

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Chloe Taylor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Lifestyle

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Lifestyle

SuccessThe Interview Playbook
Boss uses a recruiter-approved coffee cup test in every interview—and he won’t hire anyone who fails it
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMarch 22, 2026
3 hours ago
Arts & Entertainmentart
Banksy may have been identified, but his mystery has long been part of his art’s value, and a fan says it’s like finding out Santa Claus isn’t real
By Laurie Kellman and The Associated PressMarch 22, 2026
5 hours ago
SuccessCareers
Ironman’s CEO started out unloading trucks when he was 13. He warns Gen Z networking is ‘dangerous’—and to do this instead
By Preston ForeMarch 22, 2026
8 hours ago
Alexander Gabrovsky
Successlifestyle
To unwind from his 12-hour shifts, this doctor splits his year between Kentucky and Venice—he pulls into his $438K apartment by boat
By Emma BurleighMarch 22, 2026
9 hours ago
Stressed rich man at desk
SuccessWealth
The K-shaped economy has left many six-figure earners ‘on thin ice’ as housing costs, lifestyle creep, and the job market put them at risk
By Emma BurleighMarch 22, 2026
10 hours ago
Arts & EntertainmentMusic
BTS begins comeback tour to reclaim status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts after completing Korea’s mandatory military service
By Juwon Park, Kim Tong-Hyung, Hyung-Jin Kim and The Associated PressMarch 21, 2026
20 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.