Airbnb Inc. today announced several new safety features as part of its move to ban so-called “party houses” from its service following shootings at an Airbnb rental last week in Orinda, California.

The new changes start with Airbnb for the first time verifying 100% of their listings. Putting aside the Orinda shooting, this is a massive step for a company that is set to go public in 2020 and follows an article by Allie Conti at Vice a week ago uncovering a U.S. Airbnb scam.

“Starting now, verification of all seven million listings on Airbnb will commence,” Airbnb said in a statement. “Homes will be verified for accuracy of the listing (including accuracy of photos, addresses, and listing details) and quality standards (including cleanliness, safety, and basic home amenities) and those that meet our high expectations will be clearly labeled.”

In another surprising move, Airbnb is also moving to establish a “guest guarantee.” Airbnb users will be booked into a new listing of equal or greater value in the event that their booking was inaccurately described in their Airbnb listing. Alternatively, guests will also be offered a 100% refund. “Most hosts do a great job, but guests need to feel like Airbnb has their back, and we believe this commitment is a necessary step in giving guests peace of mind,” Airbnb noted.

Additionally, Airbnb has announced the launch of what it dubs the “Airbnb Neighbor Hotline.” The hotline is a 24-by-7 service that allows anyone to call Airbnb to complain about rowdy Airbnb users. Airbnb claims that the hotline is staffed with a “rapid response team” but doesn’t state what calling them to complain will actually achieve.

Last on the list of new Airbnb initiatives is a commitment to review what the company classifies as “high-risk listings.”

“To address unauthorized house parties, beginning on December 15, and informed by previous pilots, we are expanding manual screening of high-risk reservations flagged by our risk detection models to all of North America, with global roll-out through 2020,” Airbnb said.

Airbnb claims that the reviews will help identify suspicious reservations and stop “unauthorized parties” before they start.

The company’s newfound zest in targeting scam rentals and “party houses” might reasonably be questioned given that it continues to offer short-term listings in markets in which it’s illegal to do so, including Thailand, cities in Europe and notably even New York City.

Airbnb is virtue signaling, according to some: publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one’s good character or the moral correctness of one’s position. It’s doing so mostly because of the Vice article that exposed its lack of care for users but also because of the Orinda shooting that resulted in bad publicity.

The company, to its credit as a whole, has revolutionized the accommodation market, but it’s the travel equivalent of Uber Technologies Inc., warts and all.

Photo: Pixabay