Airbnb Blocks Halloween Parties

Airbnb put a stop to Halloween parties by blocking one-night reservations on the holiday in hopes to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The company has announced that they are blocking one-night reservations over the weekend of Halloween for entire home listings in the U.S. and Canada.

“We’re announcing a global ban on all parties and events at Airbnb listings, including a cap on occupancy at 16. This party ban applies to all future bookings on Airbnb and it will remain in effect indefinitely until further notice,” said Airbnb in a company statement.

Reservations made prior to this announcement will also be canceled, and the guests will be reimbursed. Parties have been a problem for Airbnb for quite some time, not just before the coronavirus pandemic. 

“I think Airbnb making this decision is responsible on their part,” said Emma Carlson, senior. “You never know what people are doing behind closed doors and this could ruin their brand reputation.”

These efforts include having agents from Airbnb’s neighborhood support line on call during the weekend to assist neighbors who report parties, as well as banning guests if they are caught hosting one.

In May, the company omitted its “event friendly” search filter along with removing “parties and events allowed” designations from all listings.

“When the pandemic was declared, and social distancing became an important element in promoting public health, we updated our policies. Most importantly, we introduced a new policy requiring all users to adhere to local COVID-19 public health mandates,” said Airbnb in a company statement.

The ban on these parties is designed to help protect the hosts of Airbnb and the communities they live in. Airbnb has also warned guests that it could take legal action against violators.

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