This story was updated on Nov. 1 to clearly attribute the source that provided the statistics on the number of deterred bookings during Halloween weekend in 2025.
Kingston residents and visitors planning Halloween parties in short-term rentals may find their bookings blocked by Airbnb’s anti-party screening technology.
For the sixth consecutive year, Airbnb will be activating its anti-party technology over Halloween weekend in Kingston, across Canada, and in the U.S. The technology is also activated over other holidays, including New Year’s Eve.
According to data shared with The Journal from Airbnb, the company’s anti-party screening deterred approximately 15 bookings in Kingston over Halloween weekend in 2025.
Saha said that parties remain “extremely rare” in Airbnbs, noting that in 2025, Ontario saw 0.07 per cent of reservations on the platform result in a report of a party.
However, this statistic does not include parties that went unreported.
In an interview with The Journal, Airbnb’s Canadian Policy Lead Alex Howell said the technology is being activated because of the increased likelihood of parties, saying the company aims to let people know that its listings are not the appropriate place to be throwing parties.
“There are certain days of the year, as I’m sure students at Queen’s know, that have just a higher likelihood of parties, whether in a short-term rental or not,” Howell said.
Howell said Airbnb do not allow parties at their listings because the company wants to remain “good neighbours” to the communities where their hosts live and operate.
In an October 2026 Airbnb announcement, the company explained that the screening technology assesses factors that could indicate the risks of a party being hosted. It then blocks the booking or redirects individuals to other listings, such as private rooms or hotels.
Howell said that Airbnb does not release the exact factors it assesses to prevent individuals from circumventing the system. However, she said it assesses patterns like an individual booking a large space close to where they reside.
Airbnb codified its ban on parties globally as a policy in June 2022 after announcing a temporary ban in August 2020. Howell explained that the temporary ban accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent large gatherings.
Airbnb also has other supports in place if the technology fails and a party occurs, including the platform’s Neighbourhood Support Line that is staffed 24/7 and allows members of the public to contact an Airbnb employee and inform them of a disturbance at a listing.
Howell said localized events like Queen’s Homecoming or fake homecoming (FOCO) are assessed on a case-by-case basis. In the three and a half years she has worked with Airbnb, the technology has not been implemented during Kingston for Homecoming, FOCO, or St. Patrick’s Day weekends.
When asked how the technology ensures that certain individuals are not discriminated against, including younger people or first-time bookers, Howell said the technology observes behavioural patterns rather than singular factors, such as age, that may flag someone from booking a listing.
There is no formal appeal process if someone’s booking gets denied, according to Howell. However, individuals can contact Airbnb to discuss the situation.
Tags
Airbnb, Anti-party, Halloween party
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