Airbnb blocked bookings for 240,000 people to avoid underground parties

The Airbnb tourist rental platform announced on Tuesday that it had

attempts to book more than 240,000 people in France in one year, in accordance with its voluntary commitment to avoid illegal parties.

Read also Airbnb: the registration obligation still lagging behind

With the Covid-19 crisis, the site explicitly banned in August 2020 and

the organization of parties and other events in all Airbnb accommodations. Their capacity is also limited to 16 people. Since then, the platform automatically blocks bookings of entire accommodation for users under the age of 25 who have less than three positive comments, when the place of booking is close to their home. The proximity criterion is intentionally kept secret to prevent certain users from circumventing it, Airbnb told AFP.

In a press release that takes stock of the measure, the platform estimates that

people were prevented from making a reservation in Paris because of this device,

in Marseille and

In Bordeaux.

The accounts of affected customers are not, however, blocked, Airbnb said, and therefore nothing prevents them from booking accommodation further away or a private room.

Set of commitments

This system is part of a series of commitments made by Airbnb last February, after the development by the Minister of Housing Emmanuelle Wargon, associations of local authorities and 30 towns, cities and metropolises, of a

for better regulation of the sector. It is in addition to an already existing assistance service, which allows neighbors to alert the platform online in the event of noise pollution or parties.

"Thousands of stays take place in France every night, the overwhelming majority of travelers are respectful and attentive to the neighborhood,"

said Emmanuel Marill, director of Airbnb in France and Europe, in the group's statement. Contacted by AFP, Airbnb however did not wish to give the annual number of reservations of the platform in France.