Airbnb makes ban on party breaks permanent

The party’s over for Airbnb, after the platform banned raucous breaks. The short-term lettings site has made permanent a ban it put in place during the Covid lockdowns, prohibiting people from advertising “party houses” or using holiday lets to host large events. Airbnb said while the ban started “in the best interest of public health”, it has evolved to become “a bedrock community policy to support our hosts and their neighbours” that will help its long-term reputation. The holiday rental platform halted parties “until further notice” in August 2020 and since then the number of party-related complaints in Britain has fallen by 63%. However, last year alone more than 6,600 guests were suspended from the service for trying to violate the party ban. Asked what constituted a party, a spokeswoman said: “A diverse array of signals are used to determine violations of our party ban. These include factors such as whether there has been an open invite [on social media], excessive noise, excessive rubbish, excessive visitors, parking that impacts neighbours, and more.” The Times (£) The Guardian