February 2020
In February 2020 the coronavirus outbreak reached short-term rentals in Beijing: Airbnb suspended bookings for every listing there, first to 29 February and then to 30 April, let covered China trips be canceled without charge and promised a fund of more than US$10 million. In Canada it moved to stop local guests under 25 from booking entire homes after a fatal shooting in Toronto. Expedia Group said it would cut about 3,000 jobs, and Booking Holdings said the virus had hurt its first quarter.
A look back, written in October 2026 from sources published in February 2020. Stay Gazette opened in July 2026.
Platforms · 5 February 2020Airbnb Bars Canadians Under 25 From Booking Entire Homes Near Where They LiveAfter three men were shot dead on 31 January 2020 at a party in a Toronto condo unit that police said was rented through Airbnb, the company said on 5 February it would stop local guests under 25 from booking entire homes in Canada. Toronto's mayor asked it to comply with the city's own rules.By Jesse Kohl · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
World · 7 February 2020Airbnb Suspends All Beijing Bookings as Coronavirus Reaches the Rental TradeAirbnb suspended bookings for every Beijing listing with a check-in from 7 to 29 February 2020, citing the outbreak and guidance from local authorities, and by 12 February had extended the window to 30 April. Guests could cancel covered trips without charge, and Airbnb China promised hosts and guests a fund of more than US$10 million.By Tomás Ferreira · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
Pictures on this page. 1. Photo: Downtown Toronto from Bathurst Street by Aaron Davis, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized). 2. Photo: Old districts 'hutong' in Beijing by Ekaterina Kvelidze, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).
What else was reported in February 2020
- 25 February 2020Expedia Group, whose brands include the vacation-rental platform Vrbo, said on 24 February that it would cut about 3,000 jobs, approximately 12% of its direct workforce, including 500 at its Seattle headquarters; it did not tie the cuts to the coronavirus. Bloomberg (as published by Free Malaysia Today)
- 26 February 2020Booking Holdings, whose brands include Booking.com, said on 26 February that the coronavirus had had a significant and negative impact across its business in the first quarter, and guided for room nights booked to fall 5% to 10% from a year earlier. Booking Holdings (earnings release filed with the SEC)
- 13 February 2020Airbnb had a net loss of $322 million in the first nine months of 2019, against a profit of $200 million in the year-earlier period, according to a Wall Street Journal report of 11 February as relayed by Fortune; Airbnb did not confirm or deny the figures to Fortune. Fortune
- 12 February 2020A Florida Senate committee voted 3-2 along party lines to send SB 1128 to the Senate floor; the bill would return the regulation of vacation rentals to the state and stop cities such as Miami Beach from fining violators. Tampa Bay Times
- 11 February 2020Eric Breon, the founder of the vacation-rental manager Vacasa, stepped down as chief executive on 11 February; board member Matt Roberts, a former chief executive of OpenTable, took over as interim chief while the company looked for a permanent successor. The Oregonian (as published by The Bulletin)
- 3 February 2020Three Georgia cities and one county (Rome, Cartersville, Tybee Island and Hart County) had filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Airbnb was not paying its share of taxes, and were seeking class-action status for communities across the state, the Associated Press reported on 3 February. Associated Press (as published by WABE)