The mayor of Liverpool has spoken out against hotels charging surge prices during the period of Eurovision 2023.
Since the announcement that Liverpool will be the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest on 13 May next year, Airbnb and hotel prices have skyrocketed online, with room rates hitting £5,000+ in places.
Some customers even reported cancellations of their existing bookings, which get replaced by more expensive offers, accusing property owners of price gouging.
On Friday, Liverpool mayor Joanne Anderson slammed the price increase, referring to the price hike as exploitative.
She told PA news agency: “I don’t think we should go into that. I want to promote the hotels that sign up and commit not to do so. That is not acceptable.”
“I know hotels do it, but I don’t think it’s on,” she continued in an interview on Friday 14 October.
“Especially with the silly prices we’ve seen. Eurovision is a great thing for our city and we don’t want people to be exploited.”
The mayor also confirmed that plans to adapt Liverpool’s transport network to allow fans to easily get to Eurovision were underway, and that work on the venue itself had already begun.
She was also clear that though the contest was to be held in the UK, she is set on making sure everyone in Ukraine is included, after Ukraine won the contest but could not host due to the Russian invasion.
The interview took place ahead of Ms Anderson’s meeting with BBC director-general Tim Davie. The two are due to meet at the ACC Liverpool, which will host Eurovision, this coming Friday (October 21).
Ms Anderson continued: “Everyone is feeling that excitement you get when you start big party plans.”
Some rooms were advertised for over £5,500 per night for dates during the week of Eurovision 2023, leading to fans accusing landlords and accommodation owners of ‘price gouging’.
As many rushed to book accommodation for the event, prices quickly surged.
Most accommodation booking sites were low on availability just 12 hours after the announcement. Booking.com stated that 99 per cent of its listings were sold out completely.
One fan claimed his apartment booking was cancelled soon after the announcement, saying: “And the cancellations start. Booked this way back in May/June, too good to be true.”
