Airbnb has had to change a lot of features to make ends meet during a pandemic that is keeping would-be travelers at home. Most recently, the startup announced a global party ban, saying that occupancy per booking will be capped at 16 people, which will stay in effect until further notice.
The move aligns with another change the startup made to its site at the beginning of the pandemic.
As bookings were canceled more and more during the lockdown, Airbnb removed the ‘event-friendly’ search filter from the platform as well as the ‘parties and events allowed’ rule from event-friendly listings.
They also launched a cleaning initiative in May and extended its refund window on bookings through mid-June.
There is also a new 24/7 neighborhood support hotline for hosts in the US and Canada to further help keep an eye on possible parties developing.