HOUSTON – To reduce the chance of parties amid the pandemic, Airbnb is banning one-night reservations over Halloween weekend across the country and in Canada. The restriction prohibits customers from booking an entire home on Friday, October 30 or Saturday, October 31.
Airbnb will cancel and reimburse the guests for previously booked reservations that fall within the ban. The home-sharing platform also plans to fully pay for the guest reimbursements, which means hosts who have confirmed bookings canceled will still receive payment.
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“This action is designed to help protect our hosts and the communities they live in,” Airbnb said in the announcement.
The company also introduced additional restrictions on two- and three-night reservations that may pose a heightened risk for parties.
In the coming weeks, Airbnb will enable technology that restricts certain local and last-minute bookings by guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb and also block reservations within an expanded radius.
The company will also remind all guests that no parties are allowed between October 28 and November 1. Guests will be required to agree to those terms and will face removal or legal action if they violate the guidelines.
If any guests break the no-party rules, Airbnb says trained agents from their support line will be available to respond to issues raised by neighbors.