An Airbnb host in California has been banned after an Asian American woman claimed her reservation was canceled because of her race.
Dyne Suh is a 25-year-old law student in Riverdale who planned a weekend getaway over Presidents’ Day in February. Suh and her fiancé were excited to go to Big Bear Lake and enjoy some skiing.
Suh tells The Washington Postthat she booked a cabin a month before their trip on Airbnb listed as a “Tree House Loft and Private Bathroom” in Running Springs, California. She later messaged the host asking if she could add two friends and two puppies to the reservation, which her host replied that it would be fine.
On Feb. 17, the group headed up the mountain during an intense winter storm that made the roads hazardous and dangerous. When they were close to their Airbnb destination, Suh sent a message to the host saying they were almost there. She also asked how would she pay for adding extra people on her reservation.
In the video above, a teary-eyed Dyne recalled what happened in a KTLA 5 News interview. In screenshots Dyne saved of her exchange with her Airbnb host, they show someone clearly turning on her with racist comments. Suh was shocked at the host’s reaction, and protested that she had proof of her agreeing to the reservation changes.
“Go ahead. I wouldn’t rent to u if you were the last person on earth,” the host wrote back to Suh. “One word says it all. Asian.”
When Suh replied that she would report her to Airbnb, the host said “Go ahead” and “It’s why we have trump.”
“And I will not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners,” she added.
Airbnb spokesman Nick Papas confirmed to The Post on Friday that the host has been banned.
“We have worked to provide the guest with our full support and in line with our nondiscrimination policy, this host has been permanently removed from the Airbnb platform,” Papas said.
Though the incident happened in February, Suh's story is getting a lot of attention after NBC Los Angeles and KTLA 5 News reported it earlier this week. “I didn’t even know it was uploaded to YouTube until NBC contacted me,” Suh said. The spotlight is “pretty terrifying but if it encourages more people to come forward, then that’s great.”
