Airbnb announced it is testing new anti-party technology in the United States and Canada as it attempts to enforce a global ban on house parties, which Airbnb made permanent earlier this year.
This new technology is designed to automatically catch the types of bookings that are likely to result in the authorized parties, by focusing on factors like the review history of guests, the age of their account, the length of stay requested by guests, and the day of booking.
This latest rollout has a much broader focus on the guests, with no mention of a maximum age limit. Airbnb has been attempting to crackdown on these parties for many years. In 2019, Airbnb said it would be banning party houses after five people died in a shooting at an Airbnb rental in Orinda.
Although most of the social distancing rules have now been relaxed, Airbnb found that its party ban had been a positive move for the business of Airbnb, and has also decided to keep it in place. The guests, who are suspected and blocked from making bookings to host the authorized parties, might still be able to make an alternative booking through Airbnb. The guests might be able to book a private room rather than a whole house.
