Airbnb said it made the decision after consulting local and federal officials and after a number of hosts worried about potential attacks sought to cancel bookings, and law enforcement warned of a threat from armed militias.

"We try to prevent certain users from using Airbnb if they are going to be committing violence or doing something we think we're very concerned about," Chesky said during an interview for the Reuters Next virtual forum on Thursday.

"After the raid on the Capitol, it became clear that the problem was much more widespread than just a few users... We felt like if the mayor and governors of the surrounding states were discouraging people from coming, then why are we providing housing?"

The company will issue a full refund to guests, and hosts will be paid in full for the cancelled bookings.

"I think this was an easy decision in hindsight," Chesky added.