AirBnB is a difficult topic in Medellin, and it appears that things have gotten even more complicated recently.
AirBnB has started what some hosts in various host communities have dubbed the Medellin Host-pocalypse. In partnership with the office of the Mayor of Medellin, AirBnB has started a process of removing hosts from the platform, regardless of Host status on AirBnB. They have removed several SuperHosts and long-time hosts for violations of their terms of service.
What is causing anger for the hosts that are getting removed from the platform is that the violations are things that were getting past human approvals. They are using AI to catch hosts trying to sneak hidden terms for nefarious actions allowed in their rentals.
AI taking over
In November of 2023, AirBnB acquired “GamePlanner.ai”, an AI company that they eyed to help them find things that might have hidden meanings on the site. This was to prevent things like the “Pablo Parties” that were happening in a prominent new building in Cuidad Del Rio in 2022. If you are unfamiliar with this, there was an unscrupulous AirBnB host that had 2 large apartments in this building, and his ad’s referenced “Pablo Parties”. The prices are 3x-4x comparable apartments on the platform. So, for example if a listing has specific keywords like “Pablo Party”, “Guest Friendly” etc.. the airbnb listing will be flagged and taken down.
This is because the guests came from underground communities where they were marketed exactly what a “Pablo Party” is. It’s a reference to genocidal maniac Pablo Escobar, who’s horrific image still is held in reverence by a sector of garbage humanity. The host was offering guests prostitutes and up to 10 grams of cocaine. Since he didn’t directly say this it snuck past the content moderation of AirBnB. This would have gone unnoticed except for one high profile incident, where the guests ordered a food delivery and since it was still during the ramping down of COVID, they had to come down to get the food at the lobby. The problem is that one of the girls came down wearing only a thong to get the food – at 3PM, on a Tuesday. The apartment is has families, and at that hour is when kids are being brought home. This incident set off a firestorm, which was the catalyst of the changes of how AirBnB is viewed by city leadership.
This and several other worldwide incidents caused AirBnB to invest in a service like GamePlanner.ai. Because there are many hidden communities that no human can possibly cover all of them, AI sees all of the information from the internet, and can see things like what a “Pablo Party” is. With Mayor Fico’s desire to clean up the image of Medellin, the mayor’s office and the team that runs GamePlanner.ai became perfect partners to achieve this common goal.
The robots are taking away our freedom!
Ok maybe that’s a bit exaggerated, but some of the affected hosts feel this way and have stated as much in AirBnB host forums. The reality is that cities like Medellin are getting tired of being seen as a place where tourists can come and exploit the city for their entertainment. They were using innocuous terms like “Guest friendly” to let potential guests know that prostitutes were allowed in their homes, or “Parties ok” to let them know that drug use was tolerated in their home. AirBnB has started to remove not only these listings, but also ban the hosts from the platform. In turn they are giving their RNT license numbers to the mayor’s office for an investigation. The hosts who have lost the ability to advertise their short term rentals on the world’s largest short term rental site, and if the office of the Mayor cancels their RNT license, these investors will lose their ability to rent out their homes, which will lead to more high end apartment inventory for sale in the coming months. Will this help in the perception of locals that there is mass gentrification happening? Only time will tell, but it should impact the high end real estate market.
Taking precautions from getting your listing removed from Airbnb
There’s no guaranteed strategy to prevent your listing from being flagged on Airbnb, but you can take some precautions, here are some following tips:
- Be careful with the keywords you use in your property descriptions. It’s difficult to predict how AI might interpret the information.
- Ensure you follow the Airbnb Guidelines provided for Colombian hosts.
- Have a lawyer review Colombia’s tourism laws. Your property may be required to register with the National Tourism Registry (Registro Nacional de Turismo – RNT).
Is AirBnb a bad investment in Medellin?
If you’re looking to purchase property in a residential building that is not dedicated to Airbnb then you’re gambling on your chances. As mentioned in our article about Airbnb Crackdown in Medellin. The apartment building would need to be zoned in an Airbnb designated area that is mapped by the city, and must meet the approve of 70%+ of the tenants agreeing to the Airbnb. These tenants can even vote against Airbnb in the future makes you liable to losing your investment.
Airbnb only approved apartments are being developed around the city. Some projects have been developed, and many more are being developed as we speak. If you’re interested in investing in one of these projects. Feel free to contact us, and we can guide you through the process of investing in Airbnb only project. Medellin is changing, and we welcome responsible investment in this incredible city.
