Airbnb policy change sparks bizarre new doomsday conspiracy theory as customers claim company is ‘dropping hints’

A RECENT policy change by Airbnb has ignited wild theories that something ominous is to come this summer.

The bizarre conspiracy theories stem from Airbnb updating its Major Disruptive Events Policy in March 2024.

Airbnb sent out an update to its customers on March 28 and also posted about the change on its official website.

The old policy used to be called the Extenuating Circumstances Policy but Airbnb changed the name as part of the update.

“This policy provides cancellation and refund support for our guests when unexpected major events like natural disasters, government travel restrictions, or weather events impact their ability to stay at a location,” Airbnb wrote in its blog post.

The policy change allows people to cancel bookings if they are unable to check into their Airbnb due to uncontrollable circumstances. 

The update specifically applies to foreseeable weather events like hurricanes that lead to government travel restrictions or large-scale outages of essential utilities, the company wrote.

“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,” Airbnb stated.

“With this update, in these same circumstances, guests with affected bookings do qualify for a refund.”

The policy will override a host’s booking cancellation policy and enable guests to cancel reservations at the impacted location.

The change also allows hosts to cancel reservations without requiring them to pay fees and face other consequences.

The new policy affects all reservations beginning on June 6, 2024.

WILD CLAIMS

The policy update sparked debate online with some onlookers wondering what spurred it.

One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, shared a screenshot of the email she got from Airbnb.

“@Airbnb may have been read in on a turbulent summer: updated their ‘extenuating circumstances’ policy to ‘Major Disruptive Events’ policy,” Naomi Wolf (@naomirwolf) wrote, noting the policy name change.

“Added ‘government restrictions on travel’ as a situation in which you get a refund.”

“They’re dropping hints, left and right,” one user said in response to her tweet. 

“Getting ready for the next pandemic,” someone else wrote.

Another Airbnb customer, @SteeleDaddy, shared a screenshot of the email he received and wrote alongside it, “Maybe I’m just a conspiracy-theorist idiot, but this seems like very specific wording in Airbnb’s new “Major Disruptive Events” policy.

“…if I were a betting man, I’d venture that government travel restrictions or a large-scale utility outage might happen this summer.”

“Hmmmm, very very interesting,” someone said in response.

Another person seemed to link the update to doomsday prepping, writing, “Anyone who isn’t preparing for a year’s worth of self-sufficiency to the degree that they are able, is not paying attention.”

COMPANY CLARIFIES

There is no indication that Airbnb’s update is in any way tied to these wild claims.

The effective date of the new policy corresponds with the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1 and runs through November 30.

Airbnb’s head of community policy shed further light on the change in the company’s blog post.

She said the update aimed to provide clarity for both guests and hosts on the platform when it comes to major disruptive events.

“Our aim was to clearly explain when the policy applies to a reservation, and to deliver fair and consistent outcomes for our users,” Juniper Downs wrote.

“These updates also bring the policy in line with industry standards.”

The U.S. Sun has reached out to Airbnb for comment on the matter.