SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Airbnb is cracking down on party homes this holiday season.
The secret to being a good host is to create a welcoming space — solid advice from veteran Airbnb host Erica James.
"We've hosted over one thousand people, and 98% of them are amazing," James said.
Airbnb calls her and her fiance a "Superhost," who are experienced, highly rated hosts committed to providing an excellent stay. But that excellence isn't always reciprocated by the guest. At one of her properties, she has had to kick out a guest who lied about their stay.
"It ended up that the neighbor called the cops, cops came out, and we ended up having to kick them out because they did have a party," James said.
It's instances like these that the platform hopes to foil on New Year's Eve.
Last year, Airbnb began implementing an algorithm to cut down on disruptive New Year's parties.
The company will not allow any one or two-night bookings unless the guest has a proven history of good reviews. By doing this, last year in the city of San Diego alone, the platform deterred more than 2,300 people from booking would-be party homes on New Year's Eve. But this year, the rules will be stricter.
"We are adding the same restrictions on certain three-night reservations as well," Airbnb Head of Trust and Safety Communications, Ben Briet, said. "We are really beefing it up further to try to crack down on these types of parties."
James said she applauds the decision to crack down on the bad apples.
"For me, I'd rather have no bookings than a bad booking."
James said her property in Grant Hill is already booked for New Year's week. She is confident that her guests will respect the space and enjoy their stay.
"It's better for the neighbors, it's better for the hosts, it's better for the guests, and it's better for the city and everyone involved," James said.
Airbnb understands that by using this algorithm, some guests with no intentions of partying may be excluded from booking. But the company says this is a trade-off it is willing to make to support its hosts.
