Airbnb has reportedly removed one of its hosts in Running Springs, California, after a woman — Korean American Dyne Suh — accused a host of canceling her cabin reservation three minutes before arrival because of her race.
Suh, along with her fiance and two friends, drove for about two hours in heavy rain and snow with plans of spending President’s Day weekend in a cabin, which Suh booked a month in advance through Airbnb, in Big Bear, California.
Just before arriving to the cabin, the Airbnb host, whom Suh had contacted to book the cabin, canceled the reservation. “I wouldn’t rent to u if u were the last person on earth,” the host told Suh via text message, screenshots show. “One word says it all. Asian.”
After receiving the messages, Suh pulled over to the side of the road, where a KTLA reporter happened to be covering the storm. She then told the reporter about the incident while the reporter recorded her. The video, which now has nearly 4 million views, was shared by KTLA’s Steve Kuzj on Facebook.
Screenshots of Dyne Suh’s conversation with an Airbnb host. (Suh’s Facebook)
“She said, ‘This is why we have Trump. We can’t have foreigners telling us what to do,’” Suh says in the video. “She said that to me. I’m an American citizen. This is my home. I’ve been here since I was 3 years old. America is my home. I consider myself an American, but this woman discriminates against me for being Asian.”
“This behavior is abhorrent and unacceptable,” Airbnb told multiple news outlets. “We have worked to provide the guest with our full support and in line with our non-discrimination policy, this host has been permanently removed from the Airbnb platform.”
That night, Airbnb provided the group with a full refund, which allowed them to cover the first night and stay at a hotel.
Video footage of Suh talking to the KTLA reporter can be seen below:
