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Airbnb using AI to clampdown on New Year’s Eve parties in Houston

Airbnb using AI technology

FILE - The Airbnb app icon is displayed on an iPad screen in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2021. Airbnb reports earnings on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Short-term rental platform Airbnb has agreed to pay 576 million euros ($621 million) to settle a years-long dispute over unpaid taxes in Italy but said it wont try to recover the money from its hosts. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) (Patrick Semansky, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

HOUSTON – Airbnb announced that it is cracking down on New Year’s Eve parties in Houston and across several countries by using AI-powered technology to enforce restrictions on certain bookings, according to its website.

The initiative aims to reduce the risk of unauthorized and disruptive parties in local neighborhoods.

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How will this work?

The system will try to identify one, two and three-night booking attempts for entire home listings over the holiday weekend that could be potentially higher risk for a disruptive and unauthorized party incident and block those bookings from being made, according to the website. The technology looks at hundreds of signals that could indicate a booking is a higher risk for this type of incident, like the duration of the trip the guest is trying to book, how far the listing is from their location, the type of listing they’re booking, and if the reservation is being made at the last minute, among many more.

The countries and regions where these measures will be in effect are the UK, and the US, including Puerto Rico, Canada, France, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand, and will see:

  • Restrictions on one-three night reservations – AI technology will block certain one – three night entire home bookings identified as potentially higher-risk for a party incident
  • Mandatory anti-party attestation Guests able to make local reservations will need to attest they understand Airbnb bans parties and that if they break this rule they face suspension or removal from the platform.

Last New Year’s Eve, Airbnb introduced an anti-party measure that saw thousands of people across the world blocked from booking an entire home listing on the platform, 63,550 in the United States.

For 2020, Airbnb saw a 73% reduction in the rate of party reports made in the UK during New Year’s Eve.

To learn more information, click here.


About the Author
Brittany Taylor headshot

Award-winning journalist, mother, YouTuber, social media guru, millennial, mentor, storyteller, University of Houston alumna and Houston-native.

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