First I would like to start by saying that I didn't end up actually staying at this Airbnb because an uncomfortable encounter with the host made me feel unsafe staying there.
I booked the stay for myself and my husband for our honeymoon and gave that as the reason for our trip as part of the booking process. Although the check-in process was supposed to be contactless, Ed waited for us to arrive for check-in (we arrived at around 3:30, so he waited at least 30 minutes so that he could talk to us) and started the conversation with the basic congratulations on your wedding, etc. Then, he continued to give us a lecture filled with conspiracy theories including that the California public school system exists to teach children obedience so that they get stripped of their innocence and become military cattle. He also mentioned COVID as a way that the state is trying to control us, implying that he believes it is a hoax by the state. He called the state's public schools, principals, and teachers "evil", which did offend me since both my mom and my sister are very devoted and dedicated public school teachers that always go above and beyond for their students.
He said that he learned all of this by watching youtube videos, that this youtuber "opened his eyes to the truth". Although I did not know who this youtuber was that Ed mentioned, my husband had heard of him before - he is a conspiracy theorist that has been banned from youtube for spreading misinformation.
We had to listen to Ed lecture at us for about 40 minutes or so before we could even check in to the place. By the time he finally left us alone, when I walked into the place I just felt complete anxiety being there, so we finally just left and contacted Airbnb about the issue. Working with Airbnb to resolve this issue was also difficult - when we contacted Airbnb support about this they told us that in a situation like this (where we felt unsafe in the space) the host has to decide whether to give you a refund. Fortunately, Ed did approve the full refund. But that policy really shows that Airbnb seems to care more about protecting their hosts than the guests.
Needless to say, as a result of this experience I probably won't be using Airbnb again.