Airbnb has announced that they will be cracking down on New Year's Eve parties due to COVID-19.
Travelers will also be affected by their plan, which includes banning single-night bookings on December 31 for users who don't already have a history of positive reviews.
Airbnb had already instituted a global party ban in 2020."As we build upon the party ban and continue to protect our community during this unprecedented time, certain holidays, such as New Years’ Eve, attract higher risks of unauthorized or disruptive parties. That’s why we’re introducing new products and policies to crack down on disruptive NYE parties, helping to protect our Hosts and minimizing neighborhood disruption," the short-term vacation rental platform announced in a press release on Tuesday. "The anchor of this plan is a ban on one-night NYE bookings in entire home listings for guests without a history of positive reviews."
The new criteria for booking will be in place for travelers hoping to book a rental in the US (including Puerto Rico), Canada, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain and the UK.
There will also be strict criteria for renters hoping to get around the ban by booking two nights.
"As NYE approaches, we will deploy more stringent restrictions on two-night reservations that may pose heightened risk for disruptive parties," the statement continued. "For example, we will leverage and amplify our technology that restricts certain local and last-minute bookings by guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb."
The company added that, "we first piloted these policies and restrictions last year for NYE 2020. Approximately 243,000 guests globally encountered these defenses during booking attempts ahead of NYE 2020, and we estimate that these efforts achieved our objectives of reducing disruptive parties."
The company used similar measures to prevent parties on Halloween and the Fourth of July.
Under the 2020 party ban, the company forbids any gatherings over 16 people. Those who violate the rule have been subject to being banned and hosts who allow it face the same.
"Guests who are reported for throwing a disruptive party or violating our rules on gatherings of more than 16 people are subject to suspension or removal from Airbnb’s platform. In some cases, guest reviews left after such parties may be removed. We may also remove listings if we determine that a Host has authorized a party that violates this policy. If we receive reports that a listing is disrupting the surrounding community, we may request that the Host update their rules or suspend the listing," their rules state.
