Airbnb will roll out stricter rules and technology to curb unauthorised parties on New Year’s Eve in 11 countries, following a successful trial last year.
These restrictions will see a ban on one-night bookings of entire home listings for guests without a positive account history on the platform – or no previous bookings at all. There will also be tighter restrictions for those same guests who try to book two- and three-night reservations, with an emphasis on attempts to book locally.
The restrictions will be in effect over the New Year’s Eve weekend in the US, Canada, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, the UK, and – new for 2022 – Ireland, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
“Stays take place across the world each night on Airbnb, with the overwhelming majority of guests and hosts being respectful of neighbours and delivering benefits to their local community. These proactive defences will help to promote responsible travel and help to prevent rare instances of unwelcome behaviour, and enable hosts, guests and communities to enjoy their end-of-year celebrations with added reassurance,” explains Naba Banerjee, Director of Trust Product and Operations at Airbnb.
Airbnb estimates that the measures have contributed to a year-over-year global drop in rates of party incidents over New Year’s Eve of roughly 56% since they were first piloted in 2020.
Last year, approximately 340 000 guests globally were blocked or redirected from attempting to book on Airbnb during New Year’s Eve, including more than 120 000 in the US, more than 34 500 in the UK, and almost 13 000 guests in Australia.
