Airbnb Bans Parties Permanently | The Daily Star

Airbnb recently announced that it will make permanent its ban on parties in homes listed on its platform. The announcement comes after Airbnb reported a sharp drop in reports of unauthorized gatherings since the ban was implemented in August 2020.

The company announced a 44% year-over-year drop in party report rates after implementing the policy.

It comes after the US-based company introduced and extended a ban on parties to stop the spread of COVID-19 infections. The company now wants to make the ban permanent as the travel season begins.

“It’s an issue where I don’t know if I’d say there’s a finish line,” said Ben Breit, a company spokesman, adding that Airbnb will continue to work to address the issue.

The company said it will also remove its 16-person limit, allowing larger homes listed on the platform to be booked up to full occupancy.

In 2019, Airbnb began imposing much stricter restrictions, starting with a global ban on so-called party houses, or listings that create a constant neighborhood nuisance.

Airbnb also updated its policies in light of the pandemic, removing both the event-friendly search filter and the house rules allowed for parties and events.

More than 6,600 guests and some hosts were suspended in 2021 for trying to violate the party ban, the company said.

In May 2022, the company reported that revenue was up 70% year-over-year, bringing in $1.5 billion in the first quarter of 2022. The company also forecast revenue to be above market estimates for the second quarter of the year , expecting to bring in between $2.03 billion and $2.13 billion.