22-05-2025
Airbnb cracks down on Memorial Day parties amid short-term rental battle in Indian Rocks Beach
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Airbnb is cracking down on parties.
It's a topic that's sitting top of mind for many residents in Indian Rocks Beach with one of the following signs in their front yard.
Indian Rocks Beach resident John Phanstiehl said, 'We see stuff every single weekend.'
'We don't even know how many neighbors have been forced out of their houses,' he said. 'We can go back to the commission meetings and watch those; it's just ruining their lives.'
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But Airbnb is cracking down on parties with their anti-party technology.
Airbnb spokesperson Emily Simons said the system will be tracking 100 different signals — all with the goal of deterring parties.
'A few examples are, the type of listing, if someone is trying to book an entire house vs just one room, the duration of their stay, if they're just trying to book a weekend,' she explained.
Simons said guests who are blocked from booking a specific listing will be given alternative Airbnb options to choose from.
The question remains: Will this technology work?
'In 2020, we introduced our global party ban policy,' Simons said. 'We have seen a 46% drop in reported parties since then.'
Phanstiehl, on the other, hand has little faith.
'It's just another round of smoke and mirrors,' he said. 'Airbnb does this every now and then, they have some grand scheme that's supposedly going to cut down on the number of undesirables or number of party houses.'
'No slick computer program is going to have an effect on that,' Phanstiehl continued.
His solution?
'No short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods,' he said. 'It's zoned residential, residential zoning means it's for residents.'
Airbnb officials said, in 2024, fewer than approximately 0.06% of reservations on Airbnb in the U.S. resulted in a report of a party.
Click here for a breakdown on what is and isn't allowed at Airbnb properties, as well as help for hosts and guests if a situation should arise.
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