Airbnb announces more party-blocking measures for summer holidays
As summer holidays approach, Airbnb is again deploying algorithms the company says help it crack down on stays where it believes a party might be involved.
After using its technology to block certain reservations over Fourth of July weekend in 2021, the booking app is going to be turning away certain guests who try to book short stays over both Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends this summer.
The move comes as Airbnb is trying to emphasize its ban on parties, which the company has made even more clear after some recent safety incidents.
As part of this summer's crackdown, the site will block certain one- and two-night booking attempts over the two holiday weekends by guests without a history of positive reviews.
The move is one the company hopes will keep guests, including local guests in some cases, from making last minute bookings with plans to throw a large parties that can be disruptive to neighbors and potentially include illegal activity.
Over both Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends, Airbnb will not allow one-night reservations from guests who do not have a history of positive reviews. This will apply to 'entire home' property listings.
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When it comes to two-night booking attempts, Airbnb said it "will deploy more stringent reservations" for certain booking attempts.
While Airbnb says guests who do have a history of positive reviews will not face any sort of restriction, this could mean guests who have never stayed at an Airbnb listing before – and thus have no reviews – could be barred from booking.
"This is a trade-off we are willing to make in the interest of trust and safety," the company said in a statement May 4.
The company argued its tactics seemed to work last year, noting a "substantial decrease" in reports of disruptive and unauthorized parties. Airbnb said its technology – which it deems its 'anti-party system' – turned away 126,000 guests from booking short stays over Independence Day weekend 2021.
Related: Airbnb or hotel for your summer vacation?
Airbnb said it used similar reservation-blocking technology around Halloween and New Year's in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's worth noting, while the company is going to greater technological lengths around the summer holidays to block certain stays where it feels a party might be likely, the app has a party ban for all stays. Airbnb says during the booking process guests have to agree to the party ban and acknowledge that they could face legal action from the company if they violate the policy.
"We do not take these measures lightly," the company said in its statement.
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