Airbnb Bans Holiday 'Party Houses' In Austin Amid Coronavirus

AUSTIN, TX — Airbnb is doing its part in thwarting the spread of the coronavirus in Austin. To that end, the company this week unveiled a plan to prevent parties in the capital city over the New Year’s Eve holiday amid rising rates of illness, company officials said.

The plan targets guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb in prohibiting them from making one night reservations in entire-home listings on New Year's Eve in Austin along with the rest of the U.S., officials explained. “Additionally, we’ll be deploying more stringent restrictions on one and two-night reservations that may pose heightened risk for parties,” company officials wrote.

This initiative comes on the heels of a similar move launched over Halloween that company officials categorized as successful.

Related stories:

• Airbnb Bans Groups, Halloween Parties In Texas Amid Coronavirus
• Texas Gains 14,758 New Coronavirus Cases, 207 More Deaths
  
• Austin Moves To Stage 4 Coronavirus Alert Level

“Airbnb bans all parties as well as ‘party houses,’ and this NYE initiative follows our recent Texas party house crackdown, which led to the suspension or removal of more than 80 Texas listings that received complaints or violated our policies on parties and events,” officials said.