Airbnb is canceling all reservations in the Washington, D.C. metro area, and will not accept any new ones leading up to the inauguration on January 20. The company said it will fully refund any guests who had previously booked a place and will reimburse hosts for the money they would have earned from the booking. Airbnb did not say how many reservations were canceled.
The company cited recent reports that armed militias are planning to travel to Washington, D.C., in their decision to cancel the bookings.
"Airbnb's work continues to be informed by inputs from our local host community as well as Washington, D.C. officials, Metro Police and Members of Congress throughout this week. In particular, Mayor Bowser, Governor Hogan, and Governor Northam have been clear that visitors should not travel to the D.C. Metro area for the Inauguration," Airbnb said in a statement.
In addition to canceling reservations, Airbnb said it has been working with law enforcement to identify individuals who were involved in violent protests that ended with Trump supporters storming the Capitol Building on January 6 and remove them from the platform. In 2017, Airbnb started banning users who were known to be members of hate groups.
The company also said that HotelTonight reservations are being canceled.
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