SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — What is “Anti-party technology?”
It sounds like something parents would use when they’re out of town, and the kids are left home alone.
But it’s actually made for Airbnb.
And it’s being used to prevent people from booking short-term rentals for the biggest party night of all, New Year's Eve.
Air, land, and sea have all been filled with people enjoying what sunny San Diego has to offer.
Which means the Airbnb’s are booked.
“I think I only have one left that maybe doesn't have someone for New Year's yet, and it's a new property,” said Nicole Bansal, who is a host of multiple properties in San Diego. “So I'm sure it will get booked.”
Bansal has been a host for about ten years and has seen it all.
“I certainly want to make sure that any guests we have are respectful or are following the rules,” said Bansal.
The biggest rule?
No disruptive parties allowed.
It's now been five years since Airbnb banned those globally.
And they have the technology to enforce it.
“My understanding thus far is that it's just essentially an AI algorithm that can detect whether someone who is booking might be a party risk based on certain factors such as last-minute bookings, one-night-only bookings, very new profiles that don't have any stays,” said Bansal.
When those risky bookings pop up, the host gets notified.
“I've actually had the platform auto-deny bookings on my behalf, like without even letting me have a say,” said Bansal.
According to Bansal, those auto-denials aren't always accurate.
She says the tech misses obvious signs, like one person requesting to book a five-bedroom house for one night, but will deny those who aren’t a risk.
“I have had to try to get around them, flagging it for someone that I talked to, and I trusted and was comfortable letting book, and we couldn't get around it,” said Bansal.
Despite AI errors, she’s still grateful the platform is taking this anti-party stance.
“I don't want to upset my neighbors. I don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night, and I'm sure nobody else wants to,” said Bansal.
