SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Visitors and residents in Pacific Beach call it a "party scene.”
And on holiday weekends like Memorial Day or the Fourth of July… it feels like it.
But while many come here to celebrate, some neighbors and short-term rental hosts worry when parties get out of hand.
It’s part of the reason Airbnb says it launched its anti-party technology back in 2020, designed to identify what it calls “higher risk” reservations before they’re even booked.
According to the company, the system looks at factors like last-minute bookings, one-night stays and certain local reservations.
“I think it's probably a good idea,” Linda Love, who lives in Pacific Beach, says. “There are consequences to bad behavior and bad choices, and so I'm all for screening people and not allowing the bad apples to ruin it for the rest of us.“
Some hosts also try to discourage large parties by increasing holiday weekend prices, requiring multi-night stays, or installing noise-monitoring devices that alert owners when sound levels get too loud.
And with San Diego’s strict short-term rental rules already in place… some residents say accountability matters.
"There has to be consequences," Love says. "People can't get away with being wild and crazy and not picking up after themselves and being conscientious and not have any consequences in life.”
Since implementing this party ban, Airbnb reports a 64% decrease in party reports in California and says that more than 99.9% of reservations in the state in 2024 had no reported party-related disturbance.
And for neighbors who’ve dealt with party houses before, that may be welcome news.
