AN Airbnb customer is furious after his landlord hiked up the price of his five-night stay by an eye-watering FOUR TIMES the original amount.
Roy Henry had booked his stay in Liverpool for the Eurovision Song Contest and was “shocked” when the host asked him to cancel and re-book at a staggering sum.
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The Eurovision fan told the BBC that he had booked the five-night stay in Liverpool during the competition at the bargain price of £465.
But was stunned when he received an email from the landlord of the property asking him to cancel and rebook his stay at a premium.
According to Roy, the host had realised the dates he had booked and was now asking for a whopping £2,046 for the stay.
Roy said: “It was unbelievable.
“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.”
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Airbnb allowed Roy to cancel his stay and is helping him cover the costs of finding alternative accommodation.
The company said his host is not allowed to relist the property for Eurovision.
Airbnb said in a statement: “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.”
Liverpool is expecting an extra 150,000 visitors during the Eurovision that takes place.
All tickets are now sold out for the two semis and the grand final of the competition from 9 to 13 May.
Airbnb has partnered with Visit Liverpool to encourage more people to list their properties to help the city cope with the huge increase in demand.
But both organisations have expressed concern about “price gouging” where the prices are increased above and beyond what is reasonable.
Simon Bennett, secretary of the Eurovision Fan Club OGAE UK explained that hotel prices were stabilising at around £200 to £300 per night after going “berserk” when Liverpool was announced as the host city.
And that many fans have now booked elsewhere in places such as Manchester and Warrington, and plan just to travel into the city.
Although there is still some accommodation left in Liverpool city centre, it is going to cost you a pretty penny if you want to stay there.
Booking.com are listing a two-bedroom apartment at a staggering £8,145 for five days during the contest.
The following week the price drops back down to £2,218.
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