NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — All eyes are on Music City as it prepares to host CBS's New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash celebration.
"I think certainly this holiday season is probably one of the first times in well over a year and a half at this point that many have been able to reunite with family and friends, and many people have been looking to travel in order to do so," said Airbnb spokesperson, Liz Fusco.
In the U.S., Airbnb saw 40% more nights booked this past Thanksgiving compared to Thanksgiving week of 2019. The spike in bookings is one of the reasons the company is cracking down.
"If people are looking to gather, we want them to do so responsibly, and we want to send a message to would-be partyers that Airbnb bans parties, and we won't tolerate that type of behavior on our platform in Nashville or anywhere throughout the United States on New Year's Eve," said Fusco.
Guests without a history of positive reviews on the platform are prohibited from making one-night reservations in entire home listings for New Year's Eve.
The platform is also using technology to restrict certain local and last-minute bookings for two or three night stays by guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb.
"This is actually a step that we took at the behest of our host community who certainly want to make sure that if they're welcoming guests over the holiday weekend that those guests are coming and will be behaving in a responsible manner," said Fusco.
The New Year's Eve safety program restrictions will not apply to guests with a history of positive reviews.
"We just will not tolerate parties on our platform and if you're thinking about booking a listing in order to have a party, think again because that's not something that is allowed on Airbnb," Fusco said.
You can read more about the restrictions here.
