United Kingdom: Airbnb has announced that it is planning a crackdown on New Year’s Eve to protect hosts and minimize disruption to neighbors around the world.
The plan is underpinned by a ban on one-night NYE bookings in whole-home listings for guests with no history of positive reviews.
Airbnb first tested policies and restrictions last year for New Year’s Eve, when 243,000 guests were stuck trying to book a short-term rental for the end of the year, including more than 18,000 people in the UK. This included 5,000 in London, 350 in Edinburgh, 290 in Bristol, 280 in Brighton, 230 in Bath, 160 in Glasgow and 150 in Cardiff.
As of today, the following criteria will be in place for customers attempting to book New Years Eve reservations in the UK, USA [including Puerto Rico]Canada, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, France and Spain:
-
For one-night reservations: Guests without a history of positive Airbnb reviews will be prohibited from making one-night reservations in entire listings.
-
For two-night bookings: As New Year’s Eve approaches, Airbnb will be rolling out tighter restrictions on two-night bookings which may pose an increased risk for disruptive parties.
-
Travelers who have already received positive reviews on Airbnb will not be subject to the restrictions.
Amanda Cupples, Managing Director for Northern Europe at Airbnb, said: “There are thousands of stays across the UK every night, with the vast majority of guests respecting neighbors and providing benefits to the local community. . These additional proactive security measures will help block bookings that we know from experience may pose a slightly higher risk, and help ensure that Hosts, their Guests and communities can enjoy their holiday celebrations. with additional insurance.
This follows the introduction of a series of measures by Airbnb to crack down on anti-social behavior through its platform.
Last August, following a fatal shootout at a property the previous year in Orinda, near San Francisco, Airbnb implemented a global ban on parties and set up a 24/7 hotline for residents to report illegal activities.
Meanwhile, a separate pilot scheme has stopped under-25s in the UK, France and Spain from renting entire homes after successfully trials in the United States and Canada. According to Airbnb, the restriction nearly 375,000 blocked or redirected booking attempts the UK.
Airbnb’s drive to promote trust and safety on its platform has also been evident in the removal or suspension of more than 1,000 listings or “party homes” in the UK, the rollout of a high-risk booking technology to combat parties and other neighborhood disturbances before they start. [including a pilot with property monitoring company Minut in Prague]and the launch of a neighbor helpline and guide to safe accommodation for the UK host community with Crimestoppers, as well as the creation of a British Alliance for Trust and Security which works closely with Airbnb in the UK to provide information and advice to hosts and travelers.
However, efforts to promote this were also somewhat undermined by revelations in June that Airbnb was spending around $50 million a year to prevent the press from serious incidents in its rentals through the use of a “black box” team.
Comments are closed.