Airbnb updated 'major events' policy; it didn't predict travel restrictions | Fact check
The claim: Airbnb warned governments will start restricting travel on June 6
An April 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims a popular vacation website has issued a warning about upcoming travel restrictions.
"Message from AirBnB: 'expect Governments restricting travel after June 6th 2024."
It goes on to claim these developments are related to "foreseeable weather events leading to a Government travel restriction or large scale utility outage."
The claim appeared in an April 10 Substack post shared on Facebook more than 100 times in three weeks, according to CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool. A version of the claim on X, formerly Twitter, was reposted more than 3,000 times in five days.
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Our rating: False
Airbnb announced an update to its policy regarding refunds and cancellations involving certain events, including government travel restrictions. It did not warn about any upcoming events.
Airbnb updated policy but did not predict travel restrictions
The post refers to a late March announcement by Airbnb about an update to its "major disruptive events" policy. However, neither the policy nor the news release announcing the changes predicts imminent government travel restrictions, as the post claims.
The policy already allows guests to cancel reservations for "unexpected major events," including "natural disasters, government travel restrictions or weather events," regardless of a host's cancellation policy. It also allows hosts to cancel reservations without fees, according to the news release.
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The update means it will also "explicitly apply to foreseeable weather events," including "hurricanes during hurricane season, that result in another covered event happening, like a government travel restriction or large-scale outage of essential utilities," the news release says.
"As an example, if a hurricane were to impact Florida during hurricane season and this led to a mandatory evacuation order, under the old policy affected bookings for this destination would not be eligible for a refund," the news release says. "With this update, in these same circumstances, guests with affected bookings do qualify for a refund."
The changes to the policy take effect June 6, the same date referenced in the claim.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Airbnb declined to provide an on-the-record comment.
Reuters also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
USA TODAY, March 28, Airbnb's updated policy will make it easier for guests to cancel reservations
Airbnb, accessed May 1, Major Disruptive Events Policy
Airbnb, March 28, An update on our Major Disruptive Events Policy
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Airbnb did not warn of government travel restrictions | Fact check
