The goal, Airbnb said, is to “help identify potentially risky reservations” and prevent those users from completing a booking. Those unable to book homes due to the anti-party technology will have the option to reserve a hotel room or a private room (rather than an entire home where a host is less likely to be present) through the platform, Airbnb said. .
Airbnb said there was a 44% year-on-year decline in the number of party reports in June, which it attributed to the policy change.
Airbnb has been testing similar technology to address the issue in Australia since 2021, with a 35% drop in unauthorized parties following the rollout, the company said. Airbnb said the pilot in Australia was so effective that it is now becoming permanent in the country and the company “hopes for similar success” in North America.
After announcing a temporary ban on parties in 2020, Airbnb implemented a similar system targeting users under 25 who rent locally and did not have positive reviews. The company described its newer anti-party technology as “more robust and sophisticated.”
“We expect this new system will help prevent more bad actors on our platform,” the company said, “while having less of a blunt impact on guests who aren’t trying to throw a party.”
