Airbnb is banning parties at Toronto listings this Halloween and here's how it will check

With Halloween weekend quickly approaching, Airbnb is deploying an AI-driven anti-party system aimed at reducing the risk of disruptive and unauthorized parties in Toronto, following high-profile shootings and violent brawls at listings in the city. 

The California-based short-term rental platform will be deploying the AI and machine learning system, which will block certain one-night and two-night reservations over Halloween for entire home listings in Toronto and throughout Canada. 

In the past, the rules have applied to guests who do not have a history of positive reviews on the platform, and for reservations that "may pose heightened risk for parties," including last-minute bookings and/or ones made by people who live locally. 

In 2022, Airbnb also brought in party prevention measures for Halloween and blocked thousands of people across the U.S. and Canada from booking, which saw a reduction in the number of disruptive parties. 

Don't even think about throwing a Halloween party at an Airbnb in Toronto this year https://t.co/yZHNgiQniy #Toronto #Halloween #Airbnb

— blogTO (@blogTO) October 12, 2022

Specifically in Toronto, approximately 2,500 people were deterred from booking an entire home listing on Airbnb due to the anti-party defences. 

The technology also deterred approximately 7,000 people in Ontario and a staggering 14,600 people across Canada last Halloween. 

The measures are part of the platform's efforts to enforce its global party ban, which has correlated with a 55 per cent year-over-two-year decrease in the rate of party reports since its introduction in August 2020. 

Airbnb's community disturbance policy also strictly prohibits disruptive gatherings regardless of size, as well as disturbances to the surrounding community including excessive noise, visitors, trash, and trespassing.

While it may be tempting, don't even think about throwing a party at an Airbnb listing in Toronto this year, as breaking the rules means you could face suspension or even complete removal from the platform.