Airbnb blocks 1-night bookings on July 4 weekend to curb parties
Visitors ready to book a short-term rental in Las Vegas for the Fourth of July weekend are out of luck.
That’s because Airbnb said that starting Monday it has blocked guests from booking one-night reservations of entire home listings in the U.S., including Nevada, during the holiday weekend.
The move is part of a larger plan by the popular short-term rental company to push for responsible travel practices as more people get vaccinated and consider taking vacations this summer.
Called “The Summer of Responsible Travel,” the plan includes eight action items meant “to help travelers and hosts stay healthier, systems to crack down on bad behavior and more help for people if some part of their trip doesn’t go as planned,” according to a blog post by Airbnb.
Company spokeswoman Mattie Zazueta said in a statement that an anchor of the plan is blocking one-night reservations during the July 4 weekend, a strategy it implemented during Halloween and New Year’s Eve.
“We’ve learned that July 4 is being pegged as the reopening date in the U.S. … That’s why we’re introducing new rules aimed at helping to prevent unauthorized parties,” according to Airbnb.
Guests who already booked their one-night reservations prior to Monday will not be affected. It will also allow guests with “a history of positive reviews” to book one-night stays.
The company did not respond to a request for details on the criteria for determining eligible guests and the number of Nevada hosts impacted by the ban.
Last year, the company suspended more than 20 Clark County homes that violated its ban on parties. The global ban was announced in August and prohibits all parties and events, including a cap on occupancy at 16. It remains in effect until further notice.
The company said it would also offer other languages like Spanish to its 24/7 support line for neighbors who wish to complain of potential parties or flag issues in real-time to one of Airbnb’s agents.
For hosts, they will be able to receive discounts for noise detection devices from Minut. The devices do not record or transmit anything other than actual noise levels, according to Airbnb. Hosts who use these devices are required to mention it on their listing pages in advance of reservations.
Contact Subrina Hudson at shudson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @SubrinaH on Twitter.