Airbnb host tried to quadruple rate for Eurovision – BBC News

Airbnb hosts in Liverpool are being warned not to try to hike prices on stays already booked ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Roy Henry said his host tried to raise the price from £465 to £2,046 when they realised his stay was for the event.

Airbnb said it had “zero tolerance for this behaviour” and was taking action to stop hosts cancelling bookings and relisting at a higher price.

Liverpool is expecting an extra 150,000 visitors during Eurovision.

All tickets have sold out for the two semis and grand final of the international music competition from 9 to 13 May.

With only 84 hotels in the city centre, Airbnb partnered with Visit Liverpool to encourage more people to list their properties to help cope with the massive influx of visitors.

But both organisations said they were concerned about “price gouging”, where prices are increased to levels much higher than what is considered reasonable or fair.

After securing his tickets Mr Henry, who lives in London, booked an apartment in the city for five nights “for a steal” at £456.

But a day later he received an email from the host who asked him to cancel the booking so the price could be amended to £2,046.

“It was unbelievable,” said Mr Henry. “If the host said, look, I made a genuine mistake, can I increase it by a small amount, say £50 a night, I would have been fine with that.

“But my mortgage in London is less a month than what people are being expected to pay for a few days.”

Airbnb has since allowed Mr Henry to cancel his stay and is helping him to cover the costs of finding alternative accommodation. Airbnb said his host is not allowed to relist the property for Eurovision.

In a statement it said: “We take a range of actions to deter host cancellations, including applying fees, penalties and blocking Hosts from accepting a new booking for the same dates.

“The average price per night of a booked stay during Eurovision is £260, providing affordable accommodation for guests and helping local families boost their income.”

Airbnb said it had seen an increase in people listing their properties since Liverpool was announced as the Eurovision host city because it would be “an economic lifeline for many battling rising living costs”.

The city is used to hosting large events but Chris Brown, director of Marketing Liverpool, said Eurovision was “probably the biggest, high-impact, high-profile event we’ve ever had”.

“The area we have a problem with is landlords and private bookings, we have no ability to regulate them. Our advice is: If it’s expensive, don’t buy it,” Mr Brown said.

But Simon Bennett, secretary of the Eurovision Fan Club OGAE UK, said “everybody needs to take a deep breath”.

Hotel prices were stabilising at around £200 to £300 per night after going “berserk” when Liverpool was first announced as the host city and people made precautionary bookings, he said.

Many fans had simply booked accommodation elsewhere, in nearby Manchester, Warrington or Southport and would drive or take public transport, the 59-year-old added.

“Prices are starting to settle because not everyone got tickets,” he said.

Delegates from the participating countries, broadcasting media and associated organisations are all now accommodated and city hotels are releasing any remaining availability, but weekends are sold out.

Vacation rental data analytics company AirDNA said the median rate for available properties for the night of the final was nearly £1,000. It said many will have to reduce their rates as the competition nears.

Booking.com is listing a two-bedroom apartment in the city centre for the five days of the contest for £8,145. The following week it is available for £2,218.

Other property owners are advertising on social media and say renting to the public is a “new thing” for them.

Sara Roberts said she had only ever let out her flat to “family and friends for football weekends” or the races at Aintree.

“How much do people looking for accommodation think is reasonable to pay?” she asked. “Many people have never rented their homes before… let’s all be transparent from both sides.”

Tom Jackson, who is also letting out his home, said: “I have no idea what I should charge, so I just put open to offers.”

Meanwhile, Mr Henry, who has been to other Eurovision contests in Europe where his accommodation was much cheaper, is still looking forward to his time in Liverpool, wherever he ends up staying.

“Eurovision may never come back to the UK again. I just love it, I’ve got the bug,” he said.