Airbnb rolling out anti-party tech for New Year’s Eve in Puerto Rico
Since 2020, the rate of reported New Year’s Eve parties in Puerto Rico has dropped by more than 78%.
This New Year’s Eve, Airbnb is introducing measures to help reduce the risk of unauthorized and disruptive parties, including in properties across Puerto Rico.
The platform stated that the anti-party technology uses machine learning to identify and block potentially high-risk bookings of entire home listings.
Airbnb’s defenses assess several factors — including the length of the trip, the type of listing, how far the listing is from the guest’s location, and when the reservation is being made — to help determine the potential risk for a disruptive, unauthorized party. If a booking is identified as high risk, the guest will either be blocked from booking or redirected to alternative accommodations on the platform.
Since this defense went into effect in 2020, the rate of reported parties during New Year’s Eve has decreased by more than 78% in Puerto Rico, Airbnb officials said.
“While issues are rare, we want to do our part to help reduce the risk of unauthorized and disruptive parties,” said Tara Bunch, global head of operations at Airbnb. “Airbnb is committed to supporting hosts and the communities they live in, and we hope these defenses allow guests, hosts and neighbors to celebrate the holiday with added reassurance.”
The technology will be in effect leading up to and over New Year’s Eve in countries and regions across the globe, including in the U.S. mainland, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.
For guests seeking to book an entire home listing on Airbnb for New Year’s Eve in these countries, the following measures will be in place:
● Restrictions on one- to three-night reservations: Airbnb’s systems will block high-risk one-, two- or three-night bookings for entire home listings.
● Mandatory anti-party attestation: Guests who can make reservations will need to confirm that they understand that disruptive and unauthorized parties are not allowed on Airbnb and that they face suspension or removal from the platform if they violate this policy.
Airbnb said it has activated these restrictions around New Year’s Eve since 2020. In the years since, there has been a significant decrease in the rate of parties reported during this holiday. Last year, nearly 74,000 people globally were blocked from booking an entire home listing, according to Airbnb.
In Puerto Rico, more than 140 guests were blocked or redirected from attempting to book on Airbnb during New Year’s Eve, the platform added.
