INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Airbnb is cracking down on parties.
It’s a topic that’s sitting top of mind for many residents in Indian Rocks Beach with one of the following signs in their front yard.
Indian Rocks Beach resident John Phanstiehl said, “We see stuff every single weekend.”
“We don’t even know how many neighbors have been pushed out of their homes,” he stated. “We could review the past commission meetings to witness it; it’s just devastating their lives.”
But Airbnb is cracking down on parties with their anti-party technology.
Airbnb spokesperson Emily Simons said the system will be tracking 100 different signals — all with the goal of deterring parties.
“Some examples include the type of rental, whether someone is attempting to book an entire home or just a single room, the length of their stay, or if they’re merely trying to book for a weekend,” she clarified.
Simons said guests who are blocked from booking a specific listing will be given alternative Airbnb options to choose from.
The question remains: Will this technology work?
“In 2020, we introduced our global party ban policy,” Simons said. “We have seen a 46% drop in reported parties since then.”
Phanstiehl, on the other, hand has little faith.
“It’s merely another cycle of smoke and mirrors,” he commented. “Airbnb occasionally announces some elaborate plan that’s supposedly meant to decrease the amount of unwanted guests or the number of party houses.”
“No slick computer program is going to have an effect on that,” Phanstiehl continued.
His solution?
“No short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods,” he said. “It’s zoned residential, residential zoning means it’s for residents.”
Airbnb officials said, in 2024, fewer than approximately 0.06% of reservations on Airbnb in the U.S. resulted in a report of a party.
Click here for a breakdown on what is and isn’t allowed at Airbnb properties, as well as help for hosts and guests if a situation should arise.
