The short-term rental platform Vrbo is not following Airbnb’s lead in canceling and refunding all stays in the Washington, DC area for the opening week. Most worryingly, it is not canceling or restricting guests known to have been involved in the US Capitol siege on January 6.
After being contacted by BuzzFeed News, Vrbo posted a blog post on Friday afternoon, saying: “If you mistreat people, there is no room for you on Vrbo. We reserve the right to remove anyone from our market that violates these principles and are encouraging hosts to cancel reservations during that time if they believe that a guest intends to violate these policies. “
This announcement leaves the burden on owners to select guests who might be members of a hate group and plan to commit more violence in DC, or who were involved in the violent attack on Capitol Hill. Local authorities asked people not to leave the city for the opening.
@vrbo Hello, please take action and return all planned trips for the opening week !!! @Airbnb has decided that the safety of its customers is more important than making them pay their fees. Can you do the same? We are begging you!
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Airbnb announced this week that it would cancel and refund all bookings for the opening, as well as block any new ones in the area for those days. The ad said: “Airbnb will cancel reservations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area during the inauguration week. In addition, we will prevent new reservations in the Washington, DC area from being made during this period by blocking those reservations. “
Silence is complicity. @vrbo your properties are in OUR neighborhoods. Stop your silence. #DontRentDC https://t.co/pATc9CPUqk
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Ben Arfmann, a video game writer at Marvel Comics, planned to travel from Pasadena, California, to attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. He booked three nights in an apartment on Vrbo for a total of $ 900.
However, after the events at the Capitol, he changed his mind. “Friends and family contacted me and said, ‘You can’t go to DC, it’s crazy, it won’t be safe,'” he told BuzzFeed News. When he contacted Vrbo to request a refund, the company told him it was up to the owner to refund him. The owner declined, citing his 30-day cancellation policy.
Arfmann was resigned to losing money until he saw the Airbnb ad. He thought Vrbo should do the same. He started tweeting about it and eventually a company representative called him. According to Arfmann, the Vrbo official told him: “Unlike AirBNB, Vrbo will not be discriminating against people’s political beliefs”.
@vrbo I have been a happy client of yours for some time. In the wake of what just happened, I’m begging you: #DontRentDC January 17th to 21st
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Dave Barman, a DC resident, told BuzzFeed News that he and his neighbors were alarmed by a woman in his block who drives a red Mazda Miata with a sign that references the mass illusion QAnon, wears a spandex jumpsuit inspired by Captain America and red and blue wig, and it makes a commotion.
Bartender and her neighbors believe she is staying in a building on her street that has several Vrbo rentals. He heard her name when she was being questioned by the local police; when he looked for her, he found recent posts on her Facebook page where she talked about being involved in the crowd that invaded Capitol. One of his posts describes how he was dragged by the police. Her Facebook page is dedicated to QAnon, and her profile picture is a screenshot of a live YouTube broadcast where she is on top of a scaffolding on Capitol Hill waving a “Q” flag. The woman did not respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment via email or Facebook.
Bartender said he has complained to Vrbo, who said he is investigating.
We haven’t heard from you @vrbo yet. Will you help keep DC residents safe and hold white supremacist advocates accountable? Follow the example of @ Airbnb and help subsidize the costs of 4 short-term rental owners for not hosting guests from January 15th to 22nd. #DontRentDC https://t.co/3xmchMgDlu
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Other DC residents are also alarmed by the influx of extremists whose accommodations are facilitated by Vrbo. Patrilie Hernandez, an advocate for the community that lives in Northeast DC, started an online petition urging Vrbo to cancel reservations. (Last week, she also asked Airbnb to do the same and was pleased with the announcement.)
“I’m thinking about the safety of the immediate neighbors, not in the Capitol, but in our small neighborhood. Will we be able to get out of our door without being targeted by a white supremacist? ”Hernandez told BuzzFeed News. “Many of these Vrbo rentals are in residential neighborhoods with families, with many residents who are not part of DC itself or do not work for the federal government. We live in a city, so we are used to things that look a little different or strange, but we draw the line with people who are willing to harass or attack our neighbors. “