Airbnb is Making this Bold Move Durving Inauguration Week

Airbnb announced this week that it is canceling and blocking DC reservations during inauguration week.

The company said on Wednesday that it would canceling and blocking the reservations in the Washington D.C., metro area on the week of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Any guests who had reserved a place would be refunded in full and the company will also reimburse Airbnb hosts with the money they would have earned.

The FBI has recently warned of armed protests being planned for Washington, D.C., and state capitals in the run-up to the inauguration.

The presidential inaugural committee, as well as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, have requested that people choose not to travel to the area for the inauguration.

Airbnb also said on Wednesday that it had already identified “numerous” individuals who were either associated with hate groups or otherwise involved with the riot, and have banned them from Airbnb’s platform.

In a company press release, Airbnb said that its 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.

The company also said that it is aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the Inauguration.

“We are continuing our work to ensure hate group members are not part of the Airbnb community. As we’ve learned through media or law enforcement sources the names of individuals confirmed to have been responsible for the violent criminal activity at the United States Capitol on January 6, we’ve investigated whether the named individuals have an account on Airbnb. Through this work, we have identified numerous individuals who are either associated with known hate groups or otherwise involved in the criminal activity at the Capitol Building, and they have been banned from Airbnb’s platform,” said the company.

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.