Hi @Maria481, nice to meet you (so to speak!)
I was actually sent your story on Whatsapp last night - we have a mutual friend, it appears.. A in Berkeley.. :)) This guest had booked with you many times (10, I think?) previously, is that correct?
So I've been sent probably close to a hundred similar examples over the past 4-6 weeks, so I've got a pretty good overview on this at this point. Initially, the wording on the notification was "Choose another place to stay. As part of our commitment to your safety, certain last minute bookings of entire homes are restricted right now. You can still book a hotel"
Now clearly, that was completely illogical because if it was really about the guests' "safety", surely it would be much, much safer in these pandemic times for singles/couples/groups to be housed in a self-contained, stand-alone unit, than shoe-horned into a hotel with countless random, unrelated strangers. Presumably, after this strange anomaly was pointed out to Airbnb numerous times, they decided they'd better update the wording on the notification to what it says in your screenshot above, which they did, about two weeks ago.
The new wording is similarly vague, of course but ostensibly, the "pattern of factors" verbiage is crafted to hint at this being a party prevention measure (but if so, why not just come straight out and say that?)
I've got numerous sscreenshots of responses from CX to hosts regarding this issue, claiming this notification appears for a variety of reasons.. from "health and safety", to "guest failing to complete profile properly" to "party prevention"
As we all know, Airbnb have publicly stated that their "high-risk indicators" for party bookings are guests under 25, local, no previous good reviews, last minute bookings. However, the examples I'm seeing (and have proof of) regularly include bookings from older guests, for stays of several weeks, for stays a month or two in the future, for repeat guests, for guests with lots of good reviews, from guests booking from overseas, for guests booking tiny studio or 1 bed apartments etc etc - none of which could possibly be classified in the "high risk for parties" category.
Coincidentally, Airbnb just happened to buy Hotel Tonight last April, at a cost of around $400 million, and around the same time, invested $150 - $200 million in OYO Hotels, with plans for major US expansion this year. Both of those outfits will have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis too. So let's just say that, regardless of the "Under 25/party house" spiel, Airbnb purposely blocking the bookings of entire homes and funnelling guests to "book hotels instead" in markets with heavy Hotel Tonight and/or OYO presence, doesn't really come as any huge surprise. Doesn't take a genius to work out what's going on.
Sorry that I haven't got better news for you @Maria481, but if you want to accept the booking, change your setting to "private room" instead of "entire home", and that should do the trick for you. Personally, if it were me and the guest was already known to me, I'd take his booking and stick his money in my pocket. You owe Airbnb nothing for blocking your guests from booking with you.
@Huma0