Airbnb to block, cancel reservations ahead of inauguration

Airbnb says it will be blocking and cancelling all reservations in the Washington, D.C. area during the week of the presidential inauguration.

The decision, announced Wednesday, was in response to various local, state and federal officials asking people not to travel to Washington, D.C. It came two days after it said it was reviewing reservations in the area ahead of the inauguration and said it will bar any guests associated with hate groups or violent activity.

The San Francisco-based home sharing company said that guests whose reservations were cancelled will be refunded in full. It will also reimburse hosts — at Airbnb’s expense — the money they would have earned from those cancelled reservations. It also said that reservations at HotelTonight, a service owned by Airbnb that handles last-minute deals at top-rated hotels, will also be cancelled.

“We are continuing our work to ensure hate group members are not part of the Airbnb community,” the company said in a corporate blog.

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