If you’ve ever walked up to a government employee and shouted, “You’re welcome for paying your salary!” you wouldn’t see anything wrong with a recent series of ads from lodgings site AirBNB that recently appeared around San Francisco. Even some people who wouldn’t do that had issues with the tone of the ads… including the company’s own employees.

The company’s CEO and its head of marketing both addressed the ads in e-mails to employees, which CNET was able to see. “I heard from so many of you about how embarrassed and deeply disappointed you were in us,” the company’s CEO told employees, acknowledging that employees were “right to feel that way.”

The head of marketing sent a similar e-mail admitting that AirBNB had “failed you, our community, our brand and our hometown.”

Airbnb to employees: ‘We failed you’ with controversial ads [CNET]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.