Airbnb wants to prevent Halloween parties in the US and Canada

Airbnb wants to block parties this spooky season.

The travel and home rental platform said Monday that it will utilise its anti-party technology this Halloween weekend.

The tech factors in the length of a stay, the distance from a guest’s location, property type and timing of a booking to block reservations deemed “higher risk.”

“We lead the way in proactive measures to reduce the risk of unauthorised parties, and our heightened technology for Halloween is one important layer in a comprehensive suite of policies and tools to support hosts, guests and local communities, and promote responsible travel,” the company wrote in a release.

This isn’t the first time Airbnb has attempted to block parties during holidays.

Last year, the company said it prevented about 38,000 people in the US and 6,300 in Canada from making bookings during Halloween weekend. The company has also used the tech during New Year’s Eve and summer holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Airbnb said the rate of parties reported worldwide has dropped by 50 per cent since it implemented a ban on parties and events in 2020 to curb the spread of Covid. The party ban became official in 2022.

The company cracked down on parties and implemented a number of new safety measures in 2019 in response to a deadly shooting at an Airbnb booking that left five dead.

Following the shooting, CEO Brian Chesky announced a ban on “party houses” in a post to the social media platform now known as X. At the time, Chesky said that the company was also cracking down on “abusive host and guest conduct.”

Airbnb said accounts that break the no party policy will be suspended or banned from the platform. The company also said its offers features like a 24-hour safety line and noise sensor for hosts.