By Coconuts Hong Kong October 26, 2015 / 12:28 HKT
Hong Kong’s infamous “Occupy Hotel” – you known, that guy who was charging people to sleep in tents in his Causeway Bay apartment – has been taken off Airbnb in what the proprietor suspects is a political move.
Stephen Thompson, who has been charging guests HKD100 a night to sleep in one of two tents surrounded by memorabilia of last year’s Occupy Central protests, told the HKFP that he was recently paid a surprise visit by two officials for Hong Kong’s Licensing Authority.
The officials apparently took photos of the room and asked if Thomas had any paying guests, which he denied (while his pants caught fire).
Two days later, however, Thompson says he was contacted by Airbnb and told they were removing his listing, without providing a reason.
The 50-year-old Brit says he believes government officials put pressure on the property sharing website to have the “Occupy Hotel” – which has been frequented by visitors from all over the world, including some from mainland China – removed.
“The Government waited until about a year to settle scores with the student leaders and other activists,” Thompson said. “I think they want to silence anybody who is a focal point for pro-democracy activism, so it is just part of the inexorable march of Chinese Leninism stamping down on Hong Kong.”
He added that Airbnb is “exercising its power like a dictatorship” in bowing to the demands.
The freelance writer also claimed the website delisted a UK property he was profiling on the site.
HKFP reached out to Airbnb for a comment but have yet to receive one.
However, the company’s Terms of Service state: “Airbnb reserves the right, at any time and without prior notice, to remove or disable access to any Listing for any reason, including Listings that Airbnb, in its sole discretion, considers to be objectionable for any reason, in violation of these Terms or Airbnb’s then-current Policies and Community Guidelines, or otherwise harmful to the Site, Application or Services.”
That's their backs covered then.
Photo: AFP
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2015/10/26/occupy-hotel-taken-airbnb-after-pressure-hong-kong-officials
