Airbnb Deploys AI to Prevent Disruptive Parties at Rented Homes

Airbnb is using technology to stop disruptive parties before they start.

The online marketplace for short-term rentals uses machine learning-powered “anti-party technology” to identify bookings that could be a higher risk for a disruptive party, it said in a Thursday (Dec. 11) press release.

When the technology identifies a potentially risky booking for an entire home listing by assessing “hundreds of signals,” it either blocks the would-be booking entirely or redirects it to other sorts of listings, such as private rooms or hotel rooms, according to the release.

The signals used to determine the risk of a booking include the length of the trip, the type of listing, the distance of the listing from the guest’s location, and the time when the reservation is being made, according to an earlier press release. For example, during New Year’s Eve 2024, Airbnb blocked higher-risk one-, two- or three-night bookings for entire home listings.

Ahead of last year’s New Year’s Eve, Airbnb’s anti-party technology blocked bookings from 20,000 people in the United States and 3,000 in Canada, according to the Thursday press release.

In the five years since Airbnb announced a global ban on disruptive parties, the company has seen the rate of party-related complaints drop by more than 50%.

Airbnb introduced its reservation screening technology in 2022, saying the tech helps reduce the chance of disruptive parties, and the company has been expanding it since then.

“We remain committed to helping our hosts and communities support respectful stays, and shared vigilance is essential to that goal,” Airbnb said in its post.

As part of this effort, the company reminds customers that third-party bookings and unaccompanied stays by anyone under 18 are not allowed on the platform; urges adults to stay attentive to minors’ social media activity; provides a Neighborhood Support Line for local residents to report a party in progress at a home they believe is listed on Airbnb; and offers free noise sensors for hosts in the U.S, per the post.

Airbnb announced its global party ban in August 2020 after its earlier prohibitions on unauthorized parties were ignored by some guests or hosts.

“Some have chosen to take bar and club behavior to homes, sometimes rented through our platform,” the company said at the time in a press release. “We think such conduct is incredibly irresponsible. We do not want that type of business, and anyone engaged in or allowing that behavior does not belong on our platform.”