A woman has claimed an Airbnb host tried to charge her triple the amount of her stay after discovering she was attending a Taylor Swift concert.
Ariel Stewart was thrilled to see the Bad Blood singer – who has been touring America on her Eras Tour amid her new whirlwind relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce – with her stepdaughter.
However, after booking the Airbnb and telling them she was going to see the pop star, Ariel claims the host informed her that they could only accommodate her if she paid three times the amount she had already paid.
After refusing to hand over any more money, Ariel said she started arguing with the host, who knew both Heather and Nola.
Ariel Stewart was thrilled to see the Bad Blood singer – who has been touring America on her Eras Tour – with her stepdaughter
However, after booking her Airbnb, Ariel claims the host told her she would have to pay triple the price
Ariel shared screenshots of the ad and her messages with the host
Additionally, Ariel claims the host criticized her work and personality while demanding she cancel the reservation so she could charge other guests.
Ariel shared numerous screenshots of the host claiming the prices weren’t set “properly,” adding that she would have to “raise additional money.”
The host then demanded that Ariel pay “$2,400, plus taxes and fees” for the two nights she booked, which was three times the amount she initially paid for her stay.
Ariel noted that the host tried to charge her after learning she was attending Taylor Swift’s concert
When she declined the new price, the host offered Ariel other accommodations to stay in, but they were further away from the venue, so the Swiftie – the name given to fans of the pop star – declined again.
She says the host then asked her to cancel her booking if she didn’t agree to pay the extra amount.
Ariel replied, “I’m sorry, but the request remains as is because I know the other location is definitely further away and we didn’t want to be too far from the Superdome. I refuse to change the rate to a more expensive rate and refuse to have my reservation moved to another location.
“After you speak to Airbnb, you can choose to cancel me, but it will penalize you and block those dates from being booked in the future.”
And while the conversation between the host and the customer had been quite friendly at first, Ariel says it quickly turned into a fiery debate when she refused to change her booking.
“They won’t punish us because they didn’t set prices properly. We are going to cancel the booking. Good luck and have a blessed day,” the host said.
When she declined the new price, the host offered Ariel other properties to stay in, but she declined. The host then accused her of ‘stealing’ from ‘small businesses’
The host asked Ariel to cancel her reservation so they could book someone else and made it clear that the Swiftie would not receive access codes to the property
Ariel clapped back: ‘Actually, hosts set the prices, Airbnb has no control over that. I have worked in the catering industry for a long time, so I know the ins and outs of everything.’
The host then accused Ariel of “stealing from small businesses” and noted that Airbnb allowed hosts to “cancel guests who made the kind of threats you just made.”
During their conversation, Ariel had also spoken to customer support, who advised her not to cancel the booking.
The host asked Ariel to cancel her reservation so they could book someone else and made it clear that the Swiftie would not receive access codes to the property.
“The sooner you cancel, the sooner you can book a new accommodation,” the host added.
“For my part, I’m not going to cancel,” Ariel replied. “My reservation is from this Airbnb and no other Airbnb.”
The host became increasingly irritated when he learned that they would miss out on the large amount of money they could earn from others attending the concert.
They added: “We didn’t book the biggest weekend of the fall at 50 percent of our normal nightly rate. We gave you the opportunity to stay here for extra money, but you turned it down.
‘Please let’s move on. We don’t have to waste each other’s days saying the same thing over and over again. I am truly sorry for the circumstances.”
After apologizing, the host changed her tune again when Ariel refused to cancel the booking.
The host became even more irritated when he learned that they would be missing out on the amount they could earn from others attending the concert
Ariel reiterated that an Airbnb support representative advised her not to cancel the reservation.
The host joked, “You can justify your behavior to anyone who will listen. I guess you don’t have many friends, but that doesn’t mean we have to listen to it.”
The die-hard Taylor fan also posted the messages from Airbnb’s customer service representative, who advised her to keep the booking.
In a follow-up video, Ariel shared a slew of other screenshots in which the host even threatened to contact her employers and complain about her “dishonest” personality.
In the caption, Ariel labeled the experience a “horrifying nightmare.”
She added: “I understand it would have been easy for me to cancel, but how do I justify this happening to someone else?
“I can’t do that, and her lack of professionalism and knowledge of hospitality is reflected in the fact that she is putting my job at risk.”
Thousands of people flooded the comments section claiming to have found the host’s full name and company.
In a follow-up video, Ariel shared a slew of other screenshots in which the host even threatened to contact her employers and complain about her ‘dishonest’ personality
The original listing has since been renamed and while it is not available on the US Airbnb site, it is still available to book on the New Zealand site and is listed at $404.67 per night.
On what appears to be the host’s website, the accommodation is listed at $654 per night.
According to Airbnb websiteprices are indeed determined by hosts.
“The total price of your Airbnb reservation is based on the nightly rate set by the host, plus any fees or charges determined by the host or Airbnb,” according to a statement on the website.
And when it comes to confirmed reservations, Airbnb has strict rules.
Are website notes that if hosts want to change the price after a customer makes a reservation, they must send the customer a trip change request. At this point it is up to the customer whether he wants to accept or reject the changes.
If they accept, their card will be charged. If they decline, their reservation will remain unchanged and the updated prices will apply to future bookings.
Viewers flooded the comments section of Ariel’s videos and slammed the host.
Viewers flooded the comments section of Ariel’s videos and slammed the host
One person said: ‘She only wanted to change the price because you mentioned Taylor Swift and realized she messed up. Good for you!’
Someone else commented: ‘This is 100 percent the host’s fault. You have to be on top of your prices. You can set the prices well before the dates are available. Entirely her fault.’
Another user added: ‘The presenter was completely unaware that a quick concert was going to happen. Once she finds out, she suddenly decides to lower the price.”
‘So they’re mad they didn’t raise the prices before you booked. Sounds like a problem and they should be punished if they cancel you. Greedy,” a fourth person wrote.
“This person is out of control lol. Wow,” said one TikTok user.
Ariel has not yet shared any updates on the situation.
Her last update came on November 3, in which she said she was waiting for an Airbnb customer service representative to call her.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Airbnb for comment.