Airbnb says the party's over on New Year’s Eve

In a bid to show it is clamping down on raucous guests, Airbnb has released details of thousands of parties it claims to have stopped at short let properties across the UK.

A statement from the platform says: “We know the overwhelming majority of guests are respectful neighbours and travellers, and that the vast majority of Hosts share their homes responsibly. Equally, we are committed to reducing instances of unauthorised parties and helping Hosts protect against neighbourhood disruption, and certain times of year, like New Years’ Eve, can attract a higher risk of unauthorised or disruptive parties.

“To that end, we are introducing restrictions on certain types of bookings over New Year’s Eve. These restrictions will see a ban on one-night bookings of entire home listings for guests without a positive account history - or no previous bookings at all - on the platform. We’re also introducing tighter restrictions for those same guests who try to book two- and three-night reservations, with an emphasis on attempts to book locally.”

It claims to have stopped thousands of New Year parties planned across the country. 

Specifically these were in Bath (over 600); Belfast (over 350); Brighton (850); Bristol (650); Cardiff (350); Edinburgh (800); York (450); Glasgow (700); Birmingham (750); Liverpool (400); and Sheffield (200). 

It says that in Manchester it’s stopped over 1,350 parties and across London no fewer than 7,800.

An Airbnb spokesperson says: “Stays take place across the world each night on Airbnb, with the overwhelming majority of guests and Hosts being respectful of neighbours and delivering benefits to their local community. These proactive defences will help to promote responsible travel and help to prevent rare instances of unwelcome behaviour, and enable Hosts, guests and communities to enjoy their end of year celebrations with added reassurance.”

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