Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Airbnb using artificial intelligence to block potentially disruptive NYE party bookings

Airbnb is using artificial intelligence (AI) to stop Hogmanay revellers from booking accommodation for potentially disruptive or unauthorised New Year’s Eve parties in locations across the UK – including Edinburgh.

With thousands of visitors set to descend on the Capital ahead of the city’s world famous Hogmanay celebrations, the online booking platform has said it is bringing in restrictions around NYE to cut down on neighbourhood disruptions caused by parties at Airbnb-booked locations.

Airbnb said it was using AI and machine learning technology that analyses hundreds of signals that could indicate a booking is a higher risk for this type of incident. These include duration of a stay, how far the listing is from a user’s location, the type of listing and if the booking is being made at the last minute. The system builds on the site’s existing global party ban.

The firm said the enhanced restrictions would block certain one to three night reservations for entire homes if the booking was identified by its systems as being potentially higher risk for a party incident. Guests making local reservations will be made to confirm they understand that Airbnb bans parties before booking and that any rule breaches could lead to suspension or removal from the platform.

Naba Banerjee, head of trust and safety at Airbnb, said: “When it comes to how we use technology like AI, we’re focused on taking a thoughtful approach that aims to benefit hosts, guests and neighbourhoods.

“We’re optimistic these measures will help have a positive impact on the communities we serve.”

Last year, Airbnb used anti-party measures around New Year’s Eve, and revealed that around 13,200 people were blocked from booking on the site in the UK at that time. The majority of those blocked bookings – 3,300 – were in London, followed by 2,100 in Manchester, 380 in Birmingham and 260 in Edinburgh.

The firm said that since first introducing party prevention measures for New Year’s Eve in 2020, it had seen a 73% reduction in the rate of party reports made to them in the UK.