ORLANDO, FL — Airbnb has launched new “anti-party” technology to prevent guests from hosting rowdy gatherings.

According to Airbnb safety and security spokesman Ben Breit, Airbnb rolled out automated screening tools last week and is already using them to detect suspicious bookings where hosts rent entire homes. I’m here. The introduction of the new system follows Airbnb’s formal adoption of a no-party policy in June of this year.

In recent years, parties at Osceola County rental properties, including Airbnb, have caused problems for property owners and neighbors in areas close to Disney World and Kissimmee. The county sheriff’s office launched an effort to stop these parties in 2020.

Bright said Airbnb’s technology looks at factors that may be related to unauthorized parties and prevents potential guests from booking if the booking is flagged. They include reviews from past stays, account history such as age of the account, age of the guest, and status of the reservation such as length of booking and distance from the guest’s location.

“If you’ve been on the platform for a while as a guest and have a lot of positive reviews, you’re unlikely to be affected like this,” said Breit.

Guests whose system stops booking entire homes can book other types of stays, such as private rooms in occupied residences or hotel rooms. Private room listings are abundant in Central Florida, he said.

“If you’re trying to throw a party that’s not allowed, you probably don’t get all that excited because in scenarios where the host is right there, people usually can’t get away with parties that aren’t allowed. ” said Bright.

The proprietary technology is based on years of research and pilot programs, but “no system is perfect,” says Breit. As such, users can contact Airbnb’s support team if they believe a legitimate reservation has been blocked in error.

Bright said hosts have been supportive of the initiative.

“They do not want disruptive, unauthorized parties to occur on their property for any reason, including the possibility of property damage. [and] Respect for neighbors,” he said. “The reason we invest in these technologies is, in many ways, as a service to our hosts.”

This action is Airbnb’s latest step to discourage people from using the site to rent space for parties and events.

In late 2019, after five people died at a Halloween party at a California rental home, the company began banning “chronic party houses,” or properties listed for the purpose of hosting parties. We have also set up a Neighborhood Assistance Line for neighbors to report issues directly to the company.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it temporarily banned parties and events from all listings in August 2020. That same year, Airbnb began restricting bookings for short stays around major holidays, We’ve started restricting some guests under the age of 25 from booking entire homes near where they live if they don’t have a history of positive reviews.

“this [new system] Not only is it much more robust and much more sophisticated, but it’s also more accurate,” said Breit.

Bright said Airbnb has removed “a large number of listings” where hosts rent out party houses in central Florida and statewide since the crackdown began in 2019. As a result, since the 2020 ban, reported parties at Airbnb properties have decreased by more than 70% year-over-year across the state.

About 250,000 guests checked into Airbnb rentals in Orlando in the first half of 2022, according to the company.

Michelle Guido, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said authorities have not been notified of any issues with parties at vacation rentals over the past few years, other than potential noise complaints.

Osceola County law enforcement faced block party issues at Kissimmee vacation homes in 2020, prompting the sheriff’s office to initiate enhanced patrols in certain areas.

Authority spokeswoman Nilva Rodriguez said the patrol, combined with cooperation with Sheriff’s Office property owners, was successful in deterring those parties.

In a statement, Rodriguez said, “There are still some places to host large parties in their homes, but renters are more aware of the problems of the past and put more emphasis on security and shuttle services.

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