In the early days of the pandemic, Airbnb tried to curb the spread of the virus by banning parties from bookings made on its platform.
It looks like it worked.
Airbnb says it has seen fewer unauthorized meetings since the ban was implemented in August 2020, making the change permanent, the company announced on Tuesday. In the past, guests could arrange meetings with the permission of their hosts, but the pandemic policy called for a global ban on all parties and events on Airbnb tabs and limited occupancy to 16.
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According to the note, the ban has led to a 44% year-on-year decrease in match reports on the platform. In addition, it has been widely accepted by the host community, community leaders, and elected officials of the company.
In April, two people were killed in an Airbnb shooting in Pittsburgh, where more than 200 people had gathered in violation of company policies.
The company’s updated policy has taken into account the feedback from the hosts and will allow more than 16 guests to stay in properties where they can comfortably do so, but the holiday ban remains in place.
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Guests who violate the platform’s ban on parties will continue to face serious consequences, the company said, from the suspension of the account to the total removal of the platform. Last year, more than 6,600 Airbnb guests were suspended from the platform after attempts to violate the company’s party policy.