Photo via Shutterstock

Photo via Shutterstock

As Airbnb pushes back on proposed legislation that could curtail vacation rentals in D.C., the company says more people than ever used the service last year.

The number of guests in the District is up nearly 80 percent compared to the previous year, and more than three times the total guests in 2014, Airbnb announced today in a year-end review.

(Courtesy of Airbnb)

People came in the largest numbers from New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago. The company estimates that Airbnb guests spent more than $150 million last year (using an estimate that visitors spent an average of $146 a day)—the bulk of which was spent in Wards 1, 2, and 6. In total, hosts earned $59 million last year.

(Courtesy of Airbnb)

This year’s report comes as the company is fighting a bill that would restrict Washingtonians to one property rental (their own residence) on home-sharing sites, require a short-term business license, and limit stays to 15 days cumulative each year when the host is not present.

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, who introduced the bill, said it is intended to preserve affordable housing in the city from “bad actors” who take units off the rental market in favor of the lucrative vacation-home market facilitated by sites like Airbnb and VRBO.

In December, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau held a press conference outside a rent-controlled apartment in Columbia Heights that had been listed on Airbnb after conducting a “sting operation.”

“It is time to create a clear, enforceable legal framework so that those who are exploiting the lack of regulations are stopped, and those who want to practice responsible home sharing can come into the light,” McDuffie said in announcing the legislation.

Predictably, Airbnb isn’t pleased—calling it “unworkable and a clear nod to hotel-industry funded organizations.” The Washington Post editorial board is siding with the company, saying that, as written, the bill could chill “legitimate home sharing.”