The short-term rental company will block one-night reservations during the Fourth of July weekend to discourage unauthorized parties in Newport Beach and across Orange County. (Shutterstock)NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Fourth of July party houses across Orange County will be in short supply this year due to an Airbnb plan to block unauthorized gatherings, the company announced Monday.One-night reservations will be disallowed on the site for the Fourth of July weekend. The company, however, carved out a Fourth of July exception for existing customers with a history of positive reviews. The move aligns with the company’s ban on all gatherings of more than 16 people at its listings throughout the world. The ban went into effect in August as Southern California became a hotspot for unauthorized house parties through Airbnb. Airbnb also announced protocols for summer bookings to encourage responsible planning. The company announced the ban on Independence Day party rentals even though California’s governor expects the state to be reopened in June. At this point, the nation’s leading health officials continue to advise against large gatherings due to the pandemic. Find out what’s happening in Newport Beach-Corona Del Marwith free, real-time updates from Patch.Let’s go!Though the ban on Airbnb parties has been in effect since August, it hasn’t stopped some in California from going ahead with large parties at short-term rentals. “As people begin to make plans to reconnect with friends and family, Airbnb is launching the Summer of Responsible Travel, an 8-point plan to help hosts, guests, and communities they call home stay safer,” Airbnb announced Monday.Find out what’s happening in Newport Beach-Corona Del Marwith free, real-time updates from Patch.Let’s go!The one-night booking ban on the Fourth of July follows similar bans for New Year’s Eve and Halloween. “Guests who are reported for throwing a disruptive party or violating our rules on gatherings of more than 16 people are subject to suspension or removal from Airbnb’s platform,” according to Airbnb’s rules.Airbnb’s policy also states that it will remove listings if the host has authorized a party. If Airbnb receives reports that a listing is disrupting the community, it may suspend the listing or tell the host to update their rules to emphasize that no parties are allowed. “Stopping large gatherings is more important than ever in this current environment, and we support local efforts by Mayor Garcetti and others to crack down on party houses,” Airbnb’s Director of Public Policy in Los Angeles, John Choi, said on Aug. 24.”We also hope that sharing out these steps today can raise further awareness of our 24/7 neighbor hotline so that we can continue to strengthen the enforcement of our policies throughout the county.” City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.ThankReply Share
