Airbnb just announced additional guidelines to combat unauthorized New Year’s Eve house parties.
Here is what you need to know about Airbnb’s New Year’s Eve policy.
Airbnb’s new rules for New Year’s Eve bookings
Airbnb has instituted a ban on one-night stays for entire homes on New Year’s Eve for users with negative or no account history.
That said, if you have used Airbnb before and have positive reviews from previous hosts, you’ll be fine.
If you are new to Airbnb or have received negative reviews in the past, you will not be able to book a one-night accommodation on New Year’s Eve.
This restriction is meant to curb unauthorized and disruptive New Year’s Eve celebrations and applies to Airbnbs in 11 different countries, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland and others.
Aside from banning stays for one night for users with poor or no account history, Airbnb will closely monitor booking requests for stays of two or three nights on New Year’s Eve for similar reasons.
They will also focus on monitoring local bookings that are at a higher risk of leading to illicit house parties.
They will also focus on monitoring local bookings, which have a higher risk of leading to illicit house parties.
What Does This Mean For Guests?
These policies, according to Naba Banerjee, Airbnb’s Director of Trust Product and Operations, are intended to be proactive:
“Stays take place across the world each night on Airbnb, with the overwhelming majority of guests and Hosts being respectful of neighbors and delivering benefits to their local community. These proactive defenses will help to promote responsible travel and help to prevent rare instances of unwelcome behavior, and enable Hosts, guests, and communities to enjoy their end of year celebrations with added reassurance.”
If you do not have an established Airbnb account with positive reviews from previous hosts, you will not be able to book a stay for one night on New Year’s Eve, and it might also be difficult to book a stay for multiple nights that weekend.
Even if you were not planning on hosting a New Year’s Eve party at your Airbnb and instead wanted to ring in the New Year with peace of mind, these new restrictions could make that impossible.
In this case, it is better to book a hotel for New Year’s Eve rather than an Airbnb.
You should have no problems making a booking on NYE if you have a positive review history on the platform.