ST. LOUIS – Airbnb will move forward with an “anti-party crackdown” plan in Missouri intended to reduce disruptions and emergencies around two upcoming holiday weekends.
The plan comes after concerns over short-terms rental parties in the St. Louis area and other parts of the state. In some cases, Airbnbs have been linked to weekend spikes in crime around St. Louis recently.
Airbnb is specifically hoping to reduce “the risk of disruptive and unauthorized parties in Missouri,” according to its announcement Tuesday. New measures will take effect for anyone looking to book a short-term rental around the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holiday weekends.
Airbnb says the following measures will take effect:
- For one-night and two-night reservations, there will be heightened restrictions on reservation attempts, leveraging an anti-party system to block certain entire home bookings that are identified as potentially higher-risk.
- As part of an anti-party attestation plan, guests who are able to make local reservations are required to attest that they understand Airbnb bans parties, and that if they break this rule, they may be subject to suspension or removal from the platform.
Airbnb says it piloted these measures during Memorial Day weekend last year and saw a decrease in reports of “disruptive and unauthorized parties,” compared to other times of the year.
With last year’s setup, Airbnb estimates around 200 people were deterred from booking entire home listings over Memorial Day weekend in Missouri due to these measures.
Airbnb also introduced a global party ban in August 2020, and the company says it’s seen a 55% decrease in the rates of part globally from 2020 to 2022. Anyone who sees a party or suspicious activity regarding an Airbnb property should contact the company through its safety line.