{"id":173688,"date":"2023-01-30T09:14:03","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T16:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inbusinessphx.com\/?p=173688"},"modified":"2023-01-30T09:14:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T16:14:03","slug":"vrbo-launches-new-technology-to-prevent-party-house-bookings-in-time-for-the-big-game-in-phoenix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.inbusinessphx.com\/?p=173688","title":{"rendered":"VRBO Launches New Technology to Prevent Party-House Bookings in Time for the Big Game in Phoenix"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vrbo<\/a> announced the national deployment of new unauthorized event prevention technology that identifies potentially disruptive parties before they take place. During its 12-month pilot phase, it is estimated the system prevented over 500 unauthorized event bookings in the U.S. \u2014 saving Vrbo hosts roughly $2.5 million in party-related damagesi\u00a0and minimizing disruptions to surrounding neighborhoods.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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This technology is one of several measures Vrbo has taken to educate and equip hosts for the massive influx of visitors who will be traveling to Phoenix for the Super Bowl. Over the past year, Vrbo used the Phoenix-area market to pilot its new program. Because of its local success, the technology has been deployed nationally and is automatically applied to all Vrbo bookings in the U.S.<\/p>\n

“As home to college bowl games, spring training, pro golf tournaments, and this year’s Super Bowl, metro Phoenix<\/span> is no stranger to hosting major sporting events. These events boost tourism and the local economy but can understandably cause concern among residents,” said Philip Minardi<\/span>, director of Public Affairs at Expedia Group. “Being a good neighbor in the communities where we operate is essential to maintaining a healthy marketplace. Even though disruptive party houses are rare on Vrbo, addressing them is still a priority. By deploying this new solution and working closely with local hosts, Vrbo is preventing problematic behavior before it starts.”<\/p>\n

How It Works<\/b><\/p>\n

The technology generates a “risk score” for each booking based on multiple factors, including but not limited to the length of stay, lead time before the stay begins, number of guests who are booking, listing’s number of beds and variety of other amenities, and weekday of first booked night. Guests’ demographic information is not considered, and Vrbo does not share personally identifiable information.<\/p>\n

If the technology deems a booking to be high-risk, the Vrbo host receives an email alerting them to this concern and enables them to cancel the booking, free of penalty. Separately, booking guests also receive an alert message prior to booking, reminding them of Vrbo policies against disruptive gatherings and similar nuisances. Vrbo does not block or cancel bookings \u2014 that decision can only be made by the host or booking party.<\/p>\n

Additional Effective Measures<\/b><\/p>\n

Over the past year, fewer than 0.25% of all Vrbo weekend bookings nationwide became the subject of party-related complaints. Policies and programs already in place to prevent improper use of Vrbo properties include:<\/p>\n