By Natasha O’Neill
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TORONTO (TVC network) — Airbnb announced new policies this year for Halloween party planners.
The latest announcement comes after Airbnb updated its ‘Party Ban’ policy and rolled out its ‘Anti-Party Technology’, a system for tracking bookings over Halloween weekends and other holidays like New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve, which looks at a customer’s positive review history. , length of stay, distance to listing, time of week, and length of time the guest has been using Airbnb.
This technology has been new to Canada and the United States since August.
Airbnb allows people to list a room, an entire house, or an apartment, usually for short-term rentals, as an alternative to hotels.
Penalties for those hosting “disruptive” parties over Halloween weekend will continue to be in effect this year, which may include account suspensions or removal from the platform altogether.
In Canada, more than 114,000 people were deterred by its anti-party policies from booking entire homes over Halloween weekend in 2021, according to an Airbnb press release.
Airbnb says guests with “no positive review history,” including no reviews, will not be allowed to make a one-night reservation in the entire home listings category.
Those without positive reviews who attempt to book an entire house for two nights in a certain location, which means guests booking in the same city they live in, or at the last minute, will be blocked, the press release said.
The company says that following the introduction of its 2020 party ban, it saw a 44% year-over-year global reduction in party reporting. Specifically in Ontario, there has been a 43% reduction in the number of parties year over year.
All guests booking reservations over Halloween weekend “must affirmatively certify that they understand that Airbnb prohibits parties and if they violate this rule, they may be subject to legal action by of the company”.
Customers with positive reviews will not be subject to any reservation bans.
“Guests who are unable to make whole house reservations due to this system will still be able to book a private room (where the host is more likely to be physically onsite) or a hotel room through Airbnb,” Airbnb’s policy states.
Airbnb announced a temporary global ban on parties in the summer of 2020. Once the company found the ban effective, it set that policy in stone in June 2022.
“We continue to believe that these defenses help make travel safer, combat disruptive behavior and parties while allowing guests, hosts and neighbors to enjoy Halloween weekend safely,” the company said.
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