Airbnb Continues to Crack down on Parties with New Booking Technology — What to Know
The new technology will screen users' review history, how long they've spent on the Airbnb site, and more.
Airbnb introduced anti-party technology this week, the latest move in the company's ongoing effort to prevent unsanctioned parties at its listings.
The new technology employed while booking, will look at several factors for potential guests, including if they have a history of positive reviews, the length of time they have been on Airbnb, the length of their trip, how far they live from the listing they are trying to rent, and what time of the week they are booking, according to the company. The goal is to help identify potentially high-risk reservations.
The new system will be used in the United States and Canada,
"The primary objective is attempting to reduce the ability of bad actors to throw unauthorized parties which negatively impact our Hosts, neighbors, and the communities we serve," Airbnb wrote in a statement. "This anti-party technology is designed to prevent a reservation attempt from going through."
If a guest is flagged as being a risk, they will be blocked from making an "entire home" booking, but Airbnb said they will still be able to book a private room or a hotel room through the site.
The new technology is a "more robust and sophisticated version" of a program Airbnb first implemented in 2020 in which the company stopped renting entire homes to some guests in the U.S. under 25 years old. The rollout also follows a similar system that has been piloted in Australia since October 2021, which the company said has been "very effective."
Earlier this summer, Airbnb made its no party rule permanent after initially creating it in August 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Following the ban, the company said it saw a 44% year-over-year drop in the rate of party reports.
The company has also cracked down on potential house parties over holiday periods, blocking short-term stays for some guests without a history of positive reviews or those who booked close to where they live over the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holiday weekends this year.
Airbnb also created a "Neighborhood Support Line" for people to voice complaints through.
Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
