If you’ve been wanting to use Airbnb to host a NYE party instead of your own house for… obvious reasons, you’re out of luck. Airbnb says it has rolled out “anti-party technology” worldwide ahead of New Year’s Eve to prevent houses from being rented out for events. Whoever develops this technology at Airbnb may want to keep that information on their LinkedIn—no one wants to be known as the person who killed the fun.
According to a blog post, Airbnb says it uses machine learning and “numerous signals” to identify reservations made so far that may be booked by guests who intend to host a party, which is not allowed on the platform. Characteristics include length of trip, type of listing, how far the listing is from the guest’s location, and when the reservation was made. The restrictions seem to be more focused on the rental of entire homes, not just one room. That makes sense: If you’re trying to book a mansion down the street from yours for New Year’s Eve, there’s a good chance you’re trying to host a raucous party and Airbnb will try to stop it.
Airbnb has good reason to identify and block groups. The company in 2022 began offering hosts on its property $1 million in liability insurance and another $1 million in damage protection to cover any damages caused by guests following high incidents of guest abandonment. And the service has come under scrutiny in the past after deadly shootings occurred at Airbnb rentals used for parties. If the company wants an adequate supply of homes in its area, it must provide a guarantee to the hosts that it is doing everything possible to make the service safe and reliable.
Especially on New Year’s Eve this year, Airbnb says it will block all one- to three-night holiday bookings. Guests will also be required to sign waivers agreeing not to attend the event, and may be removed from the venue if found to be in violation.
The company has implemented these restrictions on New Year’s Eve since 2020, and says that last year alone it blocked nearly 74,000 people from booking entire home listings during that time.
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