- Airbnb is getting even tougher on parties as the holiday celebration season rolls around.
- The company announced the launch of reservation screening technology in 11 countries over New Year's Eve weekend.
If you were hoping to host your holiday party at an Airbnb rental, you may have to reconsider.
One-night bookings of an entire home will be prohibited for certain Airbnb users over New Year's Eve, and those same users can expect tighter restrictions when booking longer local stays during that time, the company announced in a Thursday blog post.
According to the post, potential guests must have a positive history on the platform if they want to secure a one-night booking or longer local stay during holiday party season.
Reservation screening technology is meant to reduce the amount of "disruptive parties" during Airbnb stays around the world and enforce its "anti-party stance," the company said, as part of its global crackdown on unauthorized partying.
In addition to the stricter booking process, it's also offering a free noise sensor to hosts who want to make sure guests aren't too loud, Airbnb announced in October.
The San Francisco-based hospitality giant's rollout of heightened security measures follows a successful trial run in 2021 that contributed to a 56% drop in New Year's Eve party incident rates, the release reads.
In June, Airbnb announced it would permanently ban parties after seeing a 44% year-over-year decrease in reported parties since temporarily banning them in 2020.
Naba Banerjee, director of trust product and operations at Airbnb, wrote that most guests and hosts are "respectful of neighbors...delivering benefits to their local community."
"These proactive defenses will help to promote responsible travel and help to prevent rare instances of unwelcome behavior, and enable Hosts, guests and communities to enjoy their end of year celebrations with added reassurance."
The new restrictions apply in 11 countries, including the US, Brazil, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, the UK, Ireland, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
Airbnb said it plans to introduce the features to the rest of the world in spring 2023.