Airbnb is limiting reservations over the Memorial Day and July Fourth weekends in an effort to crack down on parties.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
The company announced on Wednesday that guests who lack "a history of positive reviews" will not be able to make one-night reservations in entire home listings either weekend, while also barring local and last-minute two-night reservations leading up to July 4.
Airbnb didn't specify how it will evaluate users’ history of positive reviews, nor did the company say what it considers to be a positive history. An Airbnb spokesperson told KCBS Radio in an email on Wednesday afternoon "that detail is one we'll need to keep to ourselves because we do not want to make it possible for would-be partiers to circumvent it" on either weekend.
Airbnb said the measures are extensions of a policy that resulted in more than "126,000 guests without histories of positive reviews" being impacted over the Fourth of July weekend last year, as well as a "substantial decrease in reports of disruptive and unauthorized parties."
Guests trying to make local reservations over the forthcoming holidays will have to attest they understand Airbnb has banned parties, and Airbnb could pursue legal action against them if they don’t follow the rules. Airbnb first banned parties nearly two years ago, amid the first five months of the coronavirus pandemic and prior to the availability of COVID-19 vaccines.
Calling Memorial Day and the Fourth of July "meaningful weekends that allow" listings to host families and "all kinds of responsible travelers," Airbnb said the restrictions are necessary.
"We also understand that the simple fact of not yet having reviews does not mean that a guest is trying to throw a party – this is a trade-off we are willing to make in the interest of trust and safety," the company said in a release on Wednesday.
LISTEN to KCBS Radio
FAVORITE KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
