Airbnb have been a popular way to travel and host travelers for over a decade now. However, as with any popular service, there have been some issues that have arisen. In particular, there have been concerns about so-called “trouble guests.” These are guests who may cause damage to property, make too much noise, or otherwise disrupt the peace. To address these concerns, Airbnb has just announced new anti-party tools. These tools will automatically block high-risk guests from making bookings.
Airbnb has long been committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone who uses our platform. Unfortunately, there have been instances where guests have used our platform to throw unauthorized parties, which can be disruptive and dangerous. To help prevent this from happening, Airbnb is introducing new anti-party tools in the US and Canada. These tools will help to identify potentially high-risk reservations and prevent those users from taking advantage of our platform. For example, this system looks at factors like history of positive reviews (or lack of positive reviews), length of time the guest has been on Airbnb, length of the trip, distance to the listing, weekend vs. weekday, among many others. 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. We believe that these new tools will help to make Airbnb a safer and more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
A similar variation of this system has been piloted in Australia since October 2021, where it’s been very effective. We have seen a 35 percent drop in incidents of unauthorized parties in the areas of Australia where this pilot has been in effect. We are now ending the pilot phase in Australia and codifying this product nationwide. They are hoping for similar success as they begin testing this in the US and Canada.
This anti-party technology is designed to prevent a reservation attempt from going through. Guests who are unable to make entire home bookings due to this system will still be able to book a private room (where the Host is more likely to be physically on site) or a hotel room through Airbnb.
Airbnb takes the safety of its community seriously. They are optimistic that their new party prevention technology will have a positive impact on safety and help reduce unauthorized parties. However, they want to be clear that no system is perfect. Airbnb is an online platform that facilitates real world connections. That’s why they continually seek to partner with experts and communities to complement their safety efforts. They also invest in their Neighborhood Support Line to facilitate direct communication with neighbors regarding potential parties in progress or concerns with any nearby listings. Ultimately, Airbnb is committed to providing a safe environment for its community members.
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