At Minut and Airbnb, we know that the overwhelming majority of guests are respectful neighbors and travelers, and that the vast majority of Hosts share their homes responsibly. That’s why we are committed to being good partners to the communities Hosts call home by supporting Hosts to promote responsible travel in their neighborhoods and deter unwanted behavior.
Here’s how Minut and Airbnb work together to make home-sharing better for everyone: Hosts, guests and neighbors alike.
Privacy, for both guests and neighbors, is at the core of Minut. Our sensor is camera-free, and it doesn’t listen in on conversations or capture any other sensitive data (learn more here).
We’re also fully GDPR compliant, and we extend these rights to all our customers and their guests, regardless of where they are based (learn more here).
“My neighbors were very happy that I am proactive and that I care about [my] apartment and guests more than others.” - Host Jan, Prague pilot participant
In September of 2021, Minut and Airbnb kicked off a six-month pilot program in Prague. The pilot aimed to identify new ways to help Hosts get ahead of potential issues before they start. We worked with a select group of voluntary Hosts in Prague, who installed Minut sensors in their listings.
During the pilot, Minut solved 100% of noise events in 20 minutes or less, while noise concerns from neighbors dropped significantly.
Over half of Hosts had received a noise complaint from neighbors before the program, compared to 17% during the six months of the program. Read the full report here to find out more.
Following the success of the program, Minut is offering all Hosts on Airbnb globally a free sensor and a three-month subscription to continue to support Airbnb’s community in being responsible and respectful neighbors and travelers - you can read more about this here.
The Minut sensor monitors sound levels and notifies the Host when it detects a noise event. Hosts can determine what a noise event means for their listing. This includes customizing the duration (between 5 and 15 minutes) and the threshold at which they’re notified.
This definition of a noise event errs on the side of caution, because the aim is to pick up on elevated sound before it escalates.
For the purpose of the Prague pilot program, for example, Minut recommended that Hosts set the threshold to 75 dB during the daytime and 70 dB during the night. This recommendation was based on research around party and disturbance prevention.
In comparison, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified that a whisper is about 30 dB, a normal conversation is around 60 dB and a motorcycle engine running is 95 dB.
When Minut sensors detect noise in the listing, they alert the Host automatically. The Host can then choose how they want to contact their guests.
All Hosts on Minut’s Standard plan have access to ‘Guest Connect’ - an automated communication feature enabling guests to be notified when Minut detects noise.
During the Prague pilot, some Hosts opted to use ‘Guest Connect’, while others preferred to communicate with guests themselves.
Guests are only contacted if the noise threshold is exceeded for a prolonged period of time (the default duration is 10 minutes, but Hosts can pick any time between 5 and 15 minutes).
When this happens, Minut will automatically send the guests a text message and/or automatically call their phone asking them to reduce the noise.
If guests miss these alerts, they will receive another text message and/or automated call. They could receive up to three messages and three calls.
Minut will notify the Host at the same time the guests receive a text message or an automated call. They will also be informed when the noise levels return to normal (below the threshold that the Host set).
Since the pilot program, Minut and Airbnb also announced a new integration that makes resolving a potential noise concern faster and more seamless for Hosts and guests.
This means that if Minut detects a noise event in a listing, an automatic notification will be sent by Minut through the Airbnb messaging tool to let the Host and guest know. These notifications follow the ‘Guest Connect’ flow described above.
In our research, we found that most guests are happy to follow noise rules when reminded. Thanks to the integration, guests are more likely to see this reminder and respond to it in a timely manner, making noise resolution faster and promoting responsible neighborhood travel.
“Excellent party prevention deterrent that keeps partying guests from even booking in the first place... These should be mandatory for any Host that rents out remotely!” - Jon, Superhost on Airbnb in Germany
Airbnb's global party ban is key in dissuading those looking to hold disruptive parties from booking on Airbnb.
Minut helps reinforce this message, and enables Hosts to further enforce their house rules, such as on quiet hours, and promote respect for the local neighborhood.
In addition to noise, Minut also monitors the number of devices present in the listing and tells the Host when it increases, alerting them to potential parties and overoccupancy. Occupancy assesses crowd risk (low/high). It doesn’t count or identify guests, since it’s using Bluetooth to count devices.
Though Minut is privacy-safe, Airbnb requires Hosts to disclose the presence of these devices on their listing page in advance of bookings and strictly prohibits devices in spaces like bedrooms and other sleeping areas.
Minut supports responsible Hosts and respectful guests, so that you as a neighbor can rest easy knowing that your peace and quiet are paramount.
In our mission to make short-term rental work for everyone, every day we find ourselves working closely with Hosts, guests, industry partners, and local governments.
We want to invite you to the table too! We would love to hear your thoughts on how we can help Hosts be great neighbors. Let us know at hello@minut.com.
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