No more parties at Airbnbs: The company makes its party ban permanent

Airbnb will permanently ban parties in rental homes listed across the globe, according to a company announcement today. First instituted in August 2020, the party ban was designed to curtail large social gatherings during the pandemic, particularly when bars and restaurants were off-limits due to public-health restrictions.   

The company said that the August 2020 ban had a direct correlation with a 44% year-over-year drop in party reports at hosting sites. In 2021 alone, over 6,600 guests were suspended from listing their homes on Airbnb after having violated the company’s strict party ban.  

“Over time, the party ban became much more than a public health measure,” Airbnb said in its announcement today. “It developed into a bedrock community policy to support our Hosts and their neighbors.” 

The newly permanent policy includes a ban on disruptive events, open-invite gatherings, and “party house” included in property listing desciptions. Following multiple previous safety concerns, including a 2019 shooting that took place at a property listed as a “party house” on Airbnb’s site, the company prohibited similar properties and rolled out a new listing verification procedure to ensure guest safety.

This official ban comes following the company’s recent summer announcement of Airbnb Categories, a new way to search for renters by subgroups like “tent,” “surfing,” or “cabin,” and Split Stays, a feature that now allows guests to split their trip between multiple homes. The company is even taking submissions for structures offering experiential stays in what are known as “OMG” homes, wildly creative accommodations that currently include UFOs and a giant boot.

One change from the original 2020 policy: lifting the 16-person occupancy cap that was specifically designed to combat concerns regarding the spread of Covid-19 among large groups of guests. Going forward, hosts with properties that can house 16 or more residents will once again be allowed to rent to their full capacity.  

Removing the 16-guest capacity limit while still curtailing disruptive socializing will allow travelers to explore these expanding options, according to the company. “Amazing properties like these thrive on hosting multigenerational family trips and larger groups, and removing this cap is meant to allow those Hosts to responsibly utilize the space in their homes while still complying with our ban on disruptive parties,” the company said.