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How to ensure inclusive hospitality and avoid bias against any guest?​

Resortifi believes that travel can help foster connection and build a more open and inclusive world. Discrimination is a very real obstacle to that connection, which is why it is so important to address it.

To help Hosts and guests understand discrimination and the biases that cause it, we worked with prominent social psychologists to have some best guidelines and best practices to share with our hosts.

“Bias” refers to feelings or assumptions about a person based on traits like race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age. “Discrimination” is when you behave differently toward someone based on their traits. Bias doesn’t always lead to discrimination, but it’s usually where discrimination starts.

Bias exists largely at a subconscious level and is often called “implicit bias.” Implicit bias can influence how we treat people, causing us to discriminate—sometimes without even realizing it.

Gender roles are deeply rooted in society and—whether we’re conscious of it or not—most of us use them to make determinations about how we think people should act. Gender stereotypes have significant implications for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer) people because their identities challenge societal norms. No matter where you stand on gender and LGBTQ issues, it’s important to keep in mind that extending hospitality toward others does not require the adoption of their views or lifestyle.

One of the ways bias displays itself is through stereotyping. A stereotype is a widely held but oversimplified or exaggerated image or idea of a particular type of person. Everyone uses stereotypes to a certain extent—sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously. Stereotyping groups of people can often lead to discriminatory behavior, from unintentional insults to extreme cases of injustice.

Here are some steps every Host can take to combat bias and help create a more inclusive community:

  • Speak out. Add a message to your profile stating that your door is open to everyone. This not only signals to guests that they’re welcome, it can also inspire other Hosts to embrace the values of diversity and inclusion, too.

  • Use the same standards for everyone. Create a set of objective criteria that you use to evaluate every potential guest, every time. For example, do the dates work for you? Are you able to accommodate the number of guests coming? If your criteria are inconsistent from situation to situation, bias may creep into your decision-making.

  • Use mindful decision-making. Before accepting or rejecting a guest, determine why you have made the decision and challenge yourself to give a rigorous explanation based on the criteria you have set. Ask yourself if you would be comfortable having to tell the guest face-to-face the reason why they were declined.

  • Unlearn stereotypes. One of the few proven ways to actually reverse implicit bias is to seek out experiences and info that go against stereotypes. Get out of your comfort zone, and meet people from diverse backgrounds or communities. Accept Resortifi guests from different occupations. Positive contact and social interaction can reduce biases.