Blacklisted by a travel company? Here’s how to avoid it – and what to do if you are banned

One day, Erin Mahoney was a customer in good standing with Airbnb. The next day, she was blacklisted.

First, her husband Dominic received an email saying he was banned for a “privacy violation” during a recent stay. And then she was, too.

“There was no explanation,” said Mahoney, a community organizer from New York. “Airbnb will not give us any information on what happened. We have never gone into any private space, and we haven’t used Airbnb in over a year.”

Customer blacklists are a hot topic in travel. I’ve received an influx of requests to help urban travelers, mostly from car rental and vacation rental companies. Last year, Delta Air Lines called on the federal government to establish a nationwide no-fly list for passengers who misbehave on planes – a proposal that is still up in the air. Travel bans are even making an appearance on the presidential campaign trail, although we’re not going there today.

Check out Elliott Confidential, the newsletter the travel industry doesn’t want you to read. Each issue is filled with breaking news, deep insights, and exclusive strategies for becoming a better traveler. But don’t tell anyone!

How do you get banned by a travel company? And how do you get unbanned? I’ll also tell you what happened to Mahoney in just a minute.

Can a business ban you legally? In most cases, yes. Companies typically have the right to refuse service and can, in most cases, ban customers without a specific reason. In the United States, the legal principle of private property rights and freedom of association allows a business to blacklist a customer.

“However, it’s vital for businesses to ensure they’re not engaging in discriminatory practices, which could violate anti-discrimination laws,” added C.L. Mike Schmidt, a lawyer with the Washington, D.C., law firm Schmidt and Clark. “While they can ban customers without explanation, they should do so within the confines of applicable laws and regulations.”

What do guests really want? Hotels are advertising ‘perks’ that used to be a given

Don’t lose track: Why luggage trackers don’t prevent your bags from getting lost

How do you get banned by a travel company?

There are three main ways to get blacklisted by a travel company.

1. An unpaid bill: That’s by far the most common reason. It happened to Jeffrey Shankman after he rented a car from Hertz in Palm Beach, Florida, recently. There were some extra charges on his bill, but a credit card glitch stopped the payment from going through. Hertz promptly…