Airbnb announced on Wednesday that it is blocking all stays in the Washington D.C. metro area for the week of the Inauguration after determining that “numerous individuals who are either associated with known hate groups or otherwise involved in the criminal activity at the Capitol Building” have accounts on the platform. All existing reservations will be canceled and refunded, and new stays will not be allowed.
In a blog post on its news site, the Airbnb team cited safety concerns around the Inauguration:
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. Additionally, we are aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the Inauguration.
The announcement comes just two days after Airbnb said it would be reviewing any upcoming reservations to screen for members of hate groups, as well as banning anyone who was known to have participated in the mob attack on the Capitol building last week.
Earlier this week, Airbnb announced that its political fundraising group would withhold any campaign donations to lawmakers who voted against certifying the election results on January 6.
