A Eurovision fan was shocked when his £200-a-night Liverpool Airbnb booking request was declined and then re-advertised for £41,000 per night.
Callum Rowe is a huge Eurovision fan from Newcastle. He had requested to book a house for himself, his girlfriend and four friends near to Sefton Park in south Liverpool for when the iconic music contest is held in Liverpool in May.
The university student and his mates were delighted to spot a house on Airbnb for an overall fee of £200 per night, which they thought was a great deal considering the rising prices for accommodation around the time of Eurovision in Liverpool.
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Callum explained: "We were really happy, we thought it was a bit of a steal at that price because of all the inflated prices, it was just a mid terrace house with three bedrooms and three beds in each. We were really happy with the location."
As Callum and his friends began planning the other details of their trip, the 26-year-old received a notification from Airbnb to inform him that his booking request had been declined.
He said: "I got an email from the host which said 'we are unable to accept the booking at this rate, this is a brand new listing and we need to organise the listing for those dates', that was all it said.
"When I went back to the listing I saw that it had risen from £200 per night for the house to £41,145 per night. It was pretty shocking and disappointing to see.
"I messaged the host just to say how disappointing it was to see someone trying to profit so much from Eurovision. I think actions like that just devalue what Eurovision is all about. Eurovision is about togetherness and celebrating each other and coming together, so it was sad to see. I never got a response."
"I'm surprised there aren't more safeguards in place to stop hosts trying to charge such enormous prices. It was just insane."
Callum posted about his experience on twitter and was overwhelmed by the response, with dozens of Liverpool residents offering up their homes for him and his friends to stay. Fortunately they had been able to find alternative accommodation but the student said the response showed the real side of the Liverpool and Eurovision communities.
He added: "We had so many people saying they would put us up, it was amazing. It just shows that not everyone is trying to profit like that and that most people are really kind. I can't wait to come to Liverpool, it is an amazing city and it will be an incredible experience."
A spokesperson for Airbnb said: "This listing is not representative of prices on Airbnb and 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. We want to help everyone in Liverpool benefit from the influx of visitors to the city, which is why we are offering a £50 travel coupon to anyone who hosts their first guest in a private room during the contest."
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