Airbnb has blocked over 50,000 bookings it deemed suspicious as part of their efforts to enforce the company’s ban on parties.
These suspicious Airbnb bookings have been made in 15 cities across the U.S., including Dallas, San Diego, New Orleans, Charlotte, and St. Louis.
The rentals that Airbnb has deemed suspicious are those that are short term and suspected to be used for large house parties.
Airbnb Blocks Suspicious Bookings: The Numbers
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Airbnb has blocked a combined total of 9,000 suspicious bookings in Las Vegas and Seattle, according to a report by The Denver Post. 5,000 Airbnb bookings have been blocked in Phoenix, 2,600 in Portland, and 1,800 in Salt Lake City.
According to a separate report by The Verge, Airbnb’s head of trust and safety communications Ben Breit said that the company has banned 7,000 suspicious bookings in Dallas, 6,000 in San Diego, and 5,100 in Charlotte. A further 3,500 suspicious Airbnb bookings have been banned in St. Louis, while blocked bookings in Columbus and New Orleans totalled 3,000 and 2,700, respectively.
“If you are under the age of 25 and you don’t have a history of positive reviews, we will not allow you to book an entire home listing local to where you live,” Breit told The Denver Post. However, young adults trying to book a smaller space local to where they live will be allowed. An example of what passes as a smaller space is a two-bedroom condo.
Airbnb Party Ban
Airbnb’s blocking of what it deems as suspicious bookings is part of the company’s efforts to crackdown on party houses. According to The Verge, the company ban was placed “to prevent its rental properties becoming an alternative to local bars and clubs forced to close due to the pandemic.”
In an announcement posted on their official website last August, Airbnb detailed its global party ban. The ban prohibits parties in all bookings made after the announcement was made. Occupancy at Airbnb listings are also capped at 16 people.
The stricter ban on party houses imposed last year is actually an expansion of already present rules on party houses. In a series of tweets posted in 2019, Airbnb CEO and co-founded Brian Chesky announced the company is “banning ‘party houses’ and we are redoubling our efforts to combat unauthorized parties and get rid of abusive host and guest conduct.”
Successive tweets went on to detail how the ban was to be enforced. According to Chesky, the manual screening of high-risk reservations have been expanded and a “party house” response team has been created. He also warned that immediate actions, including removal, will be dealt to those who violate the new rules.
The pandemic has hit the company in negative ways, forcing Airbnb to let go of 1,900 employees last year as a result of a decrease in bookings. Despite the downside of the pandemic, the company’s employees have made the most of their situation. One employee even developed a COVID-19 app for $50 in less than two weeks.
Related Article: Airbnb Bookings Up 52% | Post-Vaccination Surge?
Party House Headache for Airbnb
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Airbnb bookings that have eventually been used for parties have been a headache for the company.
In 2019, two Denver homeowners surrendered their rental licenses after reports of gunfire were made against partying guests renting their property, according to The Denver Post.
In the same year, five people were shot and killed in what was dubbed as a “mansion party” in Orinda, California. According to neighbors interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Halloween night party had more than 100 attendees.
Also Read: AirBnB Update No Longer Requires Users to Enter Exact Dates of Stay as Company Focuses on Flexibility
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Written by Isabella James
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