Party's Over! Airbnb Is Making a Pandemic Policy Permanent

The short-term rental platform is banning parties in an effort to better meet the needs of its hosts and communities.

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By Amanda Breen

In the early days of the pandemic, Airbnb attempted to curb the spread of the virus by banning parties at bookings made on its platform.

Looks like it worked.

Airbnb says it has seen fewer unauthorized gatherings since implementing the ban in August 2020 — so it's making the change permanent, the company announced Tuesday. In the past, guests could host gatherings with permission from their hosts, but the pandemic policy called for a global ban on all parties and events at Airbnb listings, and capped occupancy at 16.

Related: Update: Police Find That There Were No Cameras Installed in Airbnb After Renter Claimed Home Was Littered With Hidden Cameras in 'Creepy' Video

According to the memo, the ban has led to a 44% year-over-year decrease in party reports on the platform. What's more, it's been widely embraced by the company's community of hosts, community leaders, and elected officials.

In April, two people died in a shooting at an Airbnb in Pittsburgh, where more than 200 people had gathered in violation of the company's policies.

The company's updated policy has taken host feedback into account and will allow more than 16 guests to stay at properties where they can do so comfortably, but the party ban still stands.

Related: 9 Airbnb Rental Tax Deductions You Can Take for Your Vacation Properties

Guests who violate the platform's party ban will continue to face serious consequences, the company stated, from account suspension to full removal from the platform. Last year, more than 6,600 Airbnb guests were suspended from the platform following attempts to violate the company's party policy.

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and recently completed the MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts during the 2020-2021 academic year. 

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