Airbnb testing its anti-party tools in the US and Canada

Airbnb is launching new anti-party technology in the US and Canada as part of their ongoing efforts to fend off users who book a house to throw large, unapproved gatherings. According to a blog post shared by the company, the new tech is aimed at identifying ‘potentially high-risk reservations’. Airbnb will be looking at factors like a user’s history of positive reviews and history with the service, length of the requested booking, distance from their home to the booking area, and whether it is booked for a weekend or a weekday.

When the tool flags a high-risk reservation, the booking will be barred from going through. In such a case, the user will not be able to book an entire home, though they will be able to book a private room in a hotel or home — places where staff or host are more likely to be on-site and therefore able to prevent an unauthorized gathering.

This trial comes three years after five people died in a shooting during a house party at an Airbnb property in California. The tragedy caused a major dent in Airbnb’s reputation, as critics criticized the company for allowing its properties to be used for large unauthorized events that were at risk of getting out of control.

Since then, Airbnb has made several changes to reduce the risk of guests using its listings for what it describes as “disruptive parties and events.” While the company has placed a temporary ban on such gatherings two years ago, they made the ban permanent in June.

This pilot builds on Airbnb’s policy for users under the age of 25, which doesn’t allow them to book entire homes within their local area unless they already have more than three positive reviews (and no negative ones). Similar to this policy, users flagged by Airbnb’s anti-party system will still be able to book private rooms or hotels as well. It’s just the empty houses full of dangerous possibilities that are out of bounds.

Airbnb’s U.S. and Canadian trial follows testing of similar technologies over the past few years in Australia. “We have seen a 35 percent drop in incidents of unauthorized parties in the areas of Australia where this pilot has been in effect,” the company noted. “We are now ending the pilot phase in Australia and codifying this product nationwide. We are hoping for similar success as we begin testing this in the US and Canada.”

Short-term rental platforms, like Airbnb and Vrbo, have long struggled with unauthorized parties taking place at bookings. This new technology will help identify, flag and prevent suspect bookings from being sent to the host for approval, so homeowners can approve bookings without fear of property damage or noise complaints.