Party's Over? Airbnb CEO Commits To Stomping Out 'Party Houses' On Platform After San Francisco Shooting

Airbnb rise has provoked complaints it makes cities less affordable for residents AFP / Martin BUREAU

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said Saturday that the platform is going to ban "party houses" after a tragic shooting occurred in San Francisco in a rented Airbnb home. Chesky tweeted that "we are redoubling our efforts to combat unauthorized house parties and get rid of abusive host and guest conduct."

Starting today, we are banning “party houses” and we are redoubling our efforts to combat unauthorized parties and get rid of abusive host and guest conduct, including conduct that leads to the terrible events we saw in Orinda. Here is what we are doing:
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) November 2, 2019

Chesky said that the company will "expand manual screening of high-risk reservations" and create a "dedicated 'party house' rapid response team." He also said that the company would reprimand or remove users who violate these enhanced guest policies.

The shooting occurred Thursday during a Halloween party in Orinda, which is in the San Francisco metropolitan area. The tragedy resulted in five people being killed and at least four others wounded.

The party had more than 100 attendees. The homeowners had two previous "notices of violation" due to parties being held there.

Steve Solomon, Orinda's city manager, said that there was "a pretty strong conversation with the owners. We felt that they had corrected their behavior, but obviously that didn't happen."

House parties can be difficult to prevent and can have disastrous consequences for Airbnb hosts. A party in July at an Airbnb in Columbus, Ohio, resulted in five people shot.

In 2018, a guest threw a party at an Airbnb in Texas, allegedly attracting at least 300 people throughout the night. The party racked up over $18,000 in damages for the hosts.

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