A man was left fuming after his accommodation for Eurovision was cancelled.
Steve Keith, 39, booked a serviced apartment with Dream Apartments in Silkhouse Court on Tithebarn Street from May 12 to May 14 - the weekend of the Eurovision final. Steve, a huge Eurovision fan from Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, was planning to travel to Liverpool with a friend for the weekend.
The pair booked their accommodation through Booking.com on September 27, 2022 - before Liverpool was announced as the host city. Able to cancel for free on Booking.com, Steve and his friend thought it was worth booking to ensure they had somewhere to stay if Liverpool won the bid.
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However, he said problems arose after Liverpool was announced as the host city. Steve said he was told his booking would be cancelled on November 21, but he managed to resolve the issue.
Steve told the ECHO: "I got an email from Booking.com saying that Dream Apartments had got in touch with them and said there had been technical issues and they would have to cancel the booking.
"I managed to get in touch with Dream Apartments on WhatsApp. I tried to understand what was going on.
"They told me that there had been a surge in bookings after Liverpool had been announced as Eurovision host city and they were cancelling all bookings because they didn't really know who had got there first. I got in touch with them after that point and said I made the booking on September 27 - before Eurovision was announced."
Steve added: "Within 24 hours, I got another email, this time saying my booking would be honoured. It was then held. Then tickets were announced last Thursday morning, so we began to get excited about what we might do."
However, matters were to get worse for Steve.
He said: "I was working on Friday morning, I got an email from Booking.com saying simply that Dream Apartments had cancelled the booking. There was no explanation.
"I tried to get in touch with Booking.com, they said Dream Apartments had asked them to take down all their bookings beyond Easter weekend and I'd have to raise it with them.
"I managed to get through to Dream Apartments again on WhatsApp and they said they're closing the apartments in Liverpool at Easter because of rising energy costs, council tax and water bills. They can't afford to keep it up.
"They've got locations in Manchester, Newcastle, Belfast, Berlin, Paris, the list goes on. Why close Liverpool? You go on Dream Apartments' website, you can't make bookings beyond April."
Dream Apartments confirmed to the ECHO it has had to close its Silkhouse Court building due to rising costs. Steve is now looking to book new accommodation for the weekend, but is worried about some of the prices he has seen advertised.
He said he has seen some venues listed for £2,500 a night and is frustrated that the price may stop him being able to soak up the atmosphere in Liverpool during Eurovision.
He said: "I really want to go, but I don't if I have to shell out the best part of £500 for a ticket and then £2,500 to stay in a hotel.
"There's making the most of an opportunity and then there's taking advantage of people. They're two different things."
A spokesperson for Dream Apartments told the ECHO: "We can confirm that we will be closing our Silkhouse Court building. This decision has been a difficult one for us to make, but unfortunately, the operational costs have become unsustainable due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
"As you may know, many cities in the UK have been impacted by the rising costs of utilities and other operational expenses. Liverpool is one of those cities, and despite our best efforts, we are unable to continue operating at this location.
"It is with great sadness that we must close this amazing property, and we apologize to anyone whose bookings have been affected by this decision. We want to assure you that this choice was not made lightly and is solely a result of the rising costs of utilities and operational expenses. We have witnessed similar situations across the hospitality industry in the UK and unfortunately, we have reached a breaking point.
"During the Covid-19 pandemic, we were able to continue operating thanks to relief measures such as council tax and utility relief. However, these measures are no longer available, and we are unable to continue at Silkhouse Court."
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