patrick.net

On Thursday, Airbnb (ABNB) announced it will not be taking new bookings and will be canceling existing ones in the Washington, D.C. area during the week of the presidential inauguration. HotelTonight, which Airbnb acquired in 2019, will also cancel all reservations.

Airbnb stands alone in this decision to implement a hardline mandate ahead of the inauguration on Jan. 20. Expedia-owned VRBO (EXPE) and all major hotel chains are keeping their doors open as the nation reels from last week’s pro-Trump insurrection and the devastating coronavirus pandemic.

There are approximately 5,000 Airbnb properties in the DC area, with hosts making an average daily rate of about $145, though the occupancy rate was about 55% this time last year, according to AirDNA, which scrapes and analyzes data on Airbnb and VRBO.

The home rental platform will be reimbursing hosts for the payouts and the company is exempting those who previously booked long-term stays and honoring requests for medical/hardship examples (which will be reviewed and confirmed by Airbnb).

This decision to block reservations fits into its “Capitol Safety Plan” it announced earlier this week, which also included banning individuals identified as involved in criminal activity during the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 and enforcing stricter ID verification checks.