Airbnb’s Pandemic Party Ban Will Stay In Effect

Vacation marketplace Airbnb is keeping the party ban, which was enacted during the pandemic, in effect at least through the end of this summer, the company said in a press release on Thursday (May 27).

The August 2020 ban on parties went into effect “indefinitely until further notice,” and many hosts had already started prohibiting parties as part of their house rules. But now that pandemic restrictions are easing, the Silicon Valley firm said it has been getting many inquiries from community members wondering if the ban would be lifted. 

“Today, we’re announcing that this ban is being extended through at least the end of summer 2021. … we will not tolerate behavior that disrupts neighborhoods or violates the trust of our host community,” Airbnb said in the release. The company said the ban would be revisited at the end of the summer and another update will be announced. 

When the policy change first went into effect, new cases of COVID-19 were escalating and vaccines were still being developed and tested. “As we said then and still believe now, this indefinite ban was in the best interest of public health,” per the release. 

As part of the ban, the company took steps to encourage people to behave responsibly. It removed the event search feature as well as any host house rules that indicated “parties and events allowed.” It also restricted total occupancy to no more than 16. Unauthorized parties have always been prohibited on listings, Airbnb said in August 2020. Almost 75 percent of its global properties already ban parties as part of their house rules. 

Airbnb posted strong first-quarter revenue and is forecasting that the industry’s recovery this year will be the “travel rebound of the century,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told inventors on a call earlier this month. 

The company is also adding new flexibility features and more than 100 enhancement features that take into consideration COVID-19 lifestyle changes that are anticipated to continue post-pandemic.