Renting For Parties/Events

[Brandon331]

Good morning Airbnb Community,

I hope this finds you well. I know this topic has possibly been done to death, but I'm new here and my attempts to find an answer were futile. I just have a question for the hosts and how they feel about renting for parties. 

The general impression I've gotten is that most hosts are terrified of parties (as they have the right to be.) There are many guests who would be completely negligent in the care of another's property, which is unfortunate. I write to you because next June for my birthday I'd like to rent a nice home with a pool for an old fashioned backyard BBQ/pool party in Los Angeles during the afternoon/early evening.

I'm in my early 30's and most of my friends are in the age range of 30-40. I'm not looking to host a WILD party complete with a bunch of decorations and drunks breaking things/making a mess. But more so 20-25 people stopping by to swim, eat some food, play some board/card games, dominoes and such. Nothing wild at all. I moved from LA 5 years ago and would just like a day with old friends in one space for old times sake.

In my mind the party would go from 12-9 and I'd rent it the day before the party for setup, the day of the party and the following day for cleanup for a total of three nights. 

Is this feasible? Am I wishing for something that no one would agree to or are there terms I could discuss with a few hosts to find someone willing to trust that I'd respect their space? I'm definitely willing to compensate for any troubles, it's just that I'd really like this to happen lol.

Let me know, thanks!

-Brandon

[Lawrene0]

Do any of your LA friends have a house, @Brandon331 ? Would they host it? You don't have to say. It's just that Airbnbs are accommodations. The system isn't set up for parties, and there are so many awful stories out there. Hosts are skittish. They have a lot invested, financially and emotionally, and partiers always say they are going to be respectful.

But some hosts do allow parties. Search for that, and send an inquiry that's very upfront about your plans. You have great reviews, which should help.

Or do a google search for 'host party in LA', and some websites come up like peerspace. That looks promising. Something like that is set up for parties.

Hope everything turns out!

[Brandon331]

@Lawrene0 I have friends with home who COULD host, but they lack pools. I do appreciate your input and will try peerspace. Maybe I suck at Google but I was completely struggling trying to find other options. 

@Kelly149 yeah I was concerned with neighbors and parking, etc. I know there are probably few locations that this could happen smoothly, but I thought I'd ask anyway. 

@Anonymous thanks for suggesting eventup, I'll check it out. I'd also like the event space for multiple days because, who wouldn't like a home to relax in outside of the party??? A beautiful home to relax in for an extra day post party would be ideal!! Lol

But thanks for all the options and advice, you've truly given me great information to ponder over. 

[Kelly149]

@Brandon331 I think the answer is yes, but...

yes, you could host a party. 

But, it is extra and will cost extra. 

Will depend on host, home, neighbors, city codes, etc. 

if you were renting my place we would discuss: parking, noise, safety, rubbish, cleaning. If those details were satisfactorily worked out then based on what I’ve seen you propose I’d probably add $25/person charge to the rest of the base rate for a 9 hour party

As @Lawrene0 says this isn’t really ABB true element so there will be legwork to figure it out & a straight up hotel might be a better way to go

[Anonymous]

@Brandon331   Airbnb is the wrong platform for what you're looking for.  There are hosts who allow parties (filter search for "Suitable for Parties/Events") but they tend to be inexperienced hosts who might not know what they're getting into. Issues with parking and neighbors abound when you shove these things into residential zones, and Airbnb doesn't have an event-specific protocol for guest counts and damage claims.  

Your better bet is to choose a website such as eventup.com , which specialize in event rentals. These do include private homes as well as other types of venues, but a huge difference is that they are properly insured and appropriately priced for parties. Also, the venues are already set up for events, so they're much easier to clean and you aren't surrounded by lots of breakable or personal stuff. They've already accounted for issues such as parking, restrooms, and noise regulations. And best of all, you get more bang for your buck:  more usable shared space, instead of wasting money on a bunch of bedrooms for 3 nights over a 1-day event.

[Laura2592]

@Anonymous exactly right. 

We host events at our cottage which is used as Airbnb. Airbnb is just not suitable as a platform to book these events. For example, for a small wedding we have packages of services and there is no way to charge adequately through Airbnb. We have "no parties or events" on our Airbnb listing but still get people who request such.  Plus we don't want our reviews for stays woven into how well the wedding or birthday ended up going. Two totally different business streams, two very different sets of expectations. 

[Jarrod31]

What do you guys use to do events? Any specific apps?

[Paul154]

@Brandon331 

As you know, Airbnb is everything. While you may find many anti-party hosts here, you may find some pro-party hosts here also.

Do it the "right" way. Start your search only with hosts who do not forbid parties. They do exist.

THEN be 100% forthright. Explain everything as you have explained here.

THEN negotiate reasonable terms. Maybe there is a high deposit required. Maybe every guests counts as an extra $xx. Maybe you'll have to pay for security or catering....

You know, just like other party venues do.

Please do not think you can have a pool party for 20 guests for the same price as a one night reservation for quiet enjoyment.

Please do not harrass hosts who say "No Parties"

Good luck. There are hosts who want your business.

[Anonymous]

@Paul154  Whatever kind of business you can offer, if the price is right there will be someone out there eager to take it.  

I work as an event manager; it's often my job to organize locations for small parties, and I could write you 50 pages worth of reasons I would absolutely never use Airbnb for this purpose. Airbnb is great for renting rooms for short-term stays, but it's no better for booking events than it is for ordering gardening supplies or cheese.  

But my bigger concern comes more from the customer perspective. If I were inviting 20+ people to attend a party, perhaps navigating LA traffic or hiring babysitters or even coming in from out of state, I certainly wouldn't want to put my entire group at the mercy of a non-professional who just needs the business. I'd be looking for a proven record of handling events, not reviews from families who had a fun weekend at the pool house. If things go awry because I cut corners instead of finding a suitable property, that's dozens of friends and relatives that I have to awkwardly apologize to.

@Brandon331  The LA area has a huge amount of homes that are available through event-rental services, that can also provide overnight accommodation. More than most cities, actually, as event rentals overlap heavily with filming locations. And if the ideal pool party spot doesn't happen to have a place to sleep off your hangover, there's a very good chance that you'll find available accommodation nearby. And how nice it is, to go to bed in a place untouched by the party mess and the stench of spilled liquor and barbecue smoke.

[Emilia42]

As a host, I am not scared of parties, per se. But if the local events hall rents to customers to hold scheduled events at $150 per hour, why would I rent my place out for a party at $79 a night? Out of the goodness of my heart? I don't think so. This is a business like all others.

[Laura2592]

@Emilia0 yes! Even something as simple as the cleaning fee is not able to be adjusted appropriately for an event. We can't hold more than 40 people in good weather using our outdoor space and clean up can take a good two days. Events are charged by the hour whereas Airbnb is set up to charge by the day. I don't know about you, but I don't want a three day party. Plus there is food, photos, flowers, music, tents. I guess you could just say "bring your own" but truly when you are doing an event you really need a handle on every single detail. We can weave a stay for a few nights into one of our "micro wedding" packages, but we can't weave a wedding into a few night stay.

[Brandon331]

@Laura2592 I guess all events are viewed equally through the eyes of some hosts? I don't plan on having a three day party. I'd like a space to enjoy over the three days with my main party/group, however on one day of the stay I just want to entertain about twenty-five guests over food, conversation, simple board games and pool time. There would be music but I don't intend on any true decorations. Real bare bones and simple for about 5-9 hours (12-9 though knowing my friends no one would show up until 3). 

We once booked a unit for Coachella and it was about ten of us in the house (it was a large home). We all bbq'd, played in the pool and hung out without any issues. I'm saying a party, but what I'm imagining is just a party and hanging out for a few hours. After it's over it would be me and a couple friends who are actually using the home as a home base during the LA stay if that makes sense.

[Laura2592]

@Brandon331 it's really a matter of commerce. Airbnb is a platform for (mostly) short term stays. So I use it for that. Events, which require a lot more effort than a guest or couple staying on a weekend, are better booked with me through my own website or a platform that is set up for that. 

Recently we had a birthday party at our cottage. Wasn't anything huge but it did require additional parking, food and music. It was indoor/outdoor and the guests wanted a tent. We don't have a way to charge for any of those things through Airbnb. Of course there was also a photographer which we were happy to recommend. That is another service we don't offer through Airbnb. There's no way to charge for a pet at booking let alone modify the reservation to include all of the extras guests want at a party. 

We use Airbnb for what I will call "normal use stays".  In our case that means up to four guests and two pets, for two to five nights. That's all. We expect our guests to use our amenities during that time and enjoy themselves. We use other platforms to book weddings and parties for up to 5 hours with up to 40 guests. We provide packages charging for linens, food, drink, entertainment, photos, flowers, clean up, parking for up to a certain number of cars. We let neighbors know. We have to make sure we stay within applicable fire safety and capacity laws as well as alcohol consumption and noise ordinances. It's not as simple as just rolling up with 20 pals for a fun evening on the host side. Airbnb doesn't provide flexibility to adjust pricing accordingly.

That said I have seen what I would call "party houses" for rent here. They tend to be in very touristy areas. They are not the norm but I have seen them. 

[Emily487]

@Brandon331 

I agree with @Paul154 that there ARE hosts out there who will host you for the right money and the right level of communication.

But booking with AirBnB will take A LOT of leg work on your part.  And it won't include set up, plates, glasses, booze, enough toilet paper for 20 people, food, photo worthy backdrops for your online life (isn't that what all adult parties are for now?). Be willing to be open and honest and be willing to sign a contract outside of the AirBnB booking with the owner. 

@Anonymous is right - you won't be booking with a professional event host and they may not really be prepared for such a large group for a weekend ("whoops...we didn't think to add more pool chemicals for such a large group...sorry you are now covered in green slime" or "sorry we added too much and you are all coughing and covered in a rash."). 

Taking into my personal experience throwing toddler birthday parties with frozen pizza, grocery store cake, and Mr Stinky Feet playing on repeat in the background...I highly recommend that you....

Find an event planner on your own. They just really know their stuff.  You are planning pretty far in advance and I am sure you can find an experienced person who can secure a great space. They probably have a list of places that are perfect with all the details already ironed out. 

[Sarah977]

@Brandon331  You seem like a reasonable and respectful person. But do you really want to be responsible for the behavior of 25 other people? (Because you will be held solely responsible) That's a lot of people to monitor. Are they drinking too much? Doing drugs? Did they drive their car over the lawn? Did they bring along 3 other people you don't even know? Are they going to drive in with their stereo blasting, disturbing all the neighbors? Are they butting their cigarettes out in the potted plants or throwing them on the lawn? Are they vomiting on the walkway, or on the bedroom floor? Are they plugging up the toilet with too much toilet paper or who knows what? Are the girls wiping their makeup all over the towels? Are people throwing wet towels on the beds? 

Now maybe all your friends are very staid people who will just sit around all night playing board games, sipping on a glass of wine, and engaging in quiet conversation. But it's hard to believe all 25 of them, in that age bracket, would be those types. Seems like a stressful way to spend your birthday, making sure no one behaves in a way that will get you kicked out or hit with a huge bill for damages.

This business of young people renting someone's private home to throw a party is a strange phenomenon. For sure, look for somewhere that is professionally set up to host events.