Airbnb Announces Permanent Ban On Parties Across All Its Properties
After announcing a temporary ban on all parties in August 2020, the ban was officially codified as a long-term policy on 28 June 2022.
By Wayne Garreth — 01 Jul 2022, 11:07 AM
Billion-dollar homestay marketplace company, Airbnb, has decided to codify a permanent ban on parties and events across their listings around the world
On Tuesday, 28 June 2022, Airbnb released a statement that announced a ban on all parties and events in their global listings.
In detail, the company will see a permanent ban on 'disruptive parties and events', which include open-invite gatherings (parties advertised on social media), and 'Party Houses' (homestay properties dedicated to large parties and big events).
After instituting a temporary ban on parties and events in August 2020, Airbnb has made the conscious decision to make it a long-term policy
In 2019, Airbnb placed some limitations, and even rolled out several safety features relating to party houses after five individuals were killed at a homestay in California. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the company then set a temporary global ban on all parties.
"Over time, the party ban became much more than a public health measure. It developed into a bedrock community policy to support our Hosts and their neighbours," as noted in the statement.
Since implementing that policy in August 2020, the company had reported a 44% year-over-year drop in rate of party reports. In the statement, one segment read, "The ban has been well received by our Host community and we've received positive feedback from community leaders and elected officials."
Nonetheless, certain exceptions will prevail for "specialty and traditional hospitality venues"
One of the bans within the 2020 temporary restrictions that will be lifted is the limit on number of people a listing is allowed to accommodate at any one time. Previously, there was an imposed 16-person limit to occupants over concerns of the spread of COVID-19.
Removing this ban, the statement included, "[Based] on feedback from a number of Hosts who have listings that can house above 16 people comfortably, we will remove this cap."
Continuing on, the post read, "[Several] types of larger homes, by definition, are capable of comfortably and safely housing more than 16 people — from castles in Europe to vineyards in the US to large beachfront villas in the Caribbean... [Removing] this cap is meant to allow those Hosts to responsibly utilise the space in their homes while still complying with our ban on disruptive parties."
Ultimately, serious consequences are, and will still be in place for guests who violate these existing rules
Among some of the actions that will be taken by the platform against wrongdoers can range anywhere from suspending their account, to full removal from the website entirely.
Providing an in-depth description on the effectiveness of their rules, "In 2021, over 6,600 guests were suspended from Airbnb for attempting to violate our party ban." Airbnb also provided assurance to property owners that fall prey to these instances, citing that they'll continue to provide support in the form of property damage protection.
Ending their statement, Airbnb elaborated on their goal and hope for the ban, "This new and long-term policy was enacted to help encourage and support community safety. We look forward to sharing updates in the coming weeks and months on our efforts to complement our community policies on parties."
Co-founders of Airbnb (from left to right): Nathan Blecharczyk, Joe Gebbia, and Brian Chesky
Image via Airbnb Newsroom