A staple of Airbnb house rules is the classic “no house parties allowed” clause, but many guests don’t take that very seriously. To crack down on potential house parties, especially during a year of COVID-19 restrictions, Airbnb is now blocking guests from booking an entire home for a single-night stay this July 4, unless the guest has a history of good reviews.
Close-up view of popcorn, glasses and trash on messy table after party
Airbnb Is Blocking Some Guests From Making July 4 Reservations to Prevent House Parties
In a statement, Airbnb wrote, “As the July 4 weekend approaches, we are deploying more stringent restrictions on one and two-night reservations that may pose heightened risk for parties. For example, we will leverage our technology that restricts certain local and last-minute bookings by guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb and also block reservations within an expanded radius.”
House rules, including quiet hours and occupancy limits, will be moved higher up on the listing pages to highlight their importance.
“This helps communicate those important rules loud and clear while aligning expectations between Hosts and guests,” Airbnb wrote, “to try to ensure respectful treatment of properties and neighbors during stays.”
It’s all part of Airbnb’s “Summer of Responsible Travel” plan to encourage travelers to behave responsibly and within COVID-19 guidelines. In anticipation of a surge in bookings for the summer season, Airbnb is also adding a Neighborhood Support hotline, which customers can use to report issues to trained agents in real-time. Superhosts can also use the service for renting noise-detection devices, though their use must be disclosed in the property listing. 