Taylor Swift fan claims Airbnb host attempted to price gouge her

Taylor Swift fan claims Airbnb host tried to charge her TRIPLE the original fee after finding out she was traveling to attend the singer’s Eras Tour

  • Ariel Stewart booked an Airbnb ahead of a Taylor Swift concert in New Orleans
  • However, after booking,  the host claimed she would have to pay triple the price
  • The content creator shared the screenshots between her and the host

A woman has claimed that an Airbnb host attempted to charge her triple the amount of her stay after discovering she was attending a Taylor Swift concert. 

Ariel Stewart was overjoyed to be seeing the Bad Blood songstress – who has been traveling the Americas on her Eras Tour amid her new whirlwind relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce – with her stepdaughter. 

However, after booking the Airbnb and sharing that she was going to see the popstar, Ariel claims the host informed her that they could only accommodate her if she paid three times the amount she had already forked out. 

After refusing to hand over more money, Ariel said she began arguing with the host – who went by both Heather and Nola.

Ariel Stewart was overjoyed to be seeing the Bad Blood songstress – who has been traveling the Americas on her Eras Tour – with her stepdaughter


However, after she had booked her Airbnb, Ariel claims the host told her she needed to pay triple the price

Ariel shared screenshots of the listing and her messages with the host

What’s more, Ariel alleges that the host took jabs at her job and personality while demanding she cancel the reservation so she could charge other guests. 

Ariel shared numerous screenshots from the host who claimed the pricing had not been ‘properly’ set, adding that she would have to ‘collect additional funds.’ 

The host then demanded Ariel pay ‘$2,400, plus taxes and fees’ for the two nights she had booked, which was triple the amount she had initially paid for her stay. 

Ariel noted that the host attempted to upcharge her after learning she was attending Taylor Swift’s concert

When she declined the new cost, the host offered Ariel other properties to stay in, but they were further away from the venue, so the Swiftie – the name given to fans of the popstar – once again declined.

She says the host then asked her to cancel her booking if she didn’t agree to paying the extra amount. 

Ariel responded: ‘I am sorry but the request will stay as it is because I know that the other location is definitely further and we did not want to be too far from the Superdome. I decline changing the rate to a more expensive rate and decline to have my reservation moved to another location.

‘After speaking with 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 customer had been rather friendly at the start, Ariel says it soon turned into a fiery debate when she refused to change her booking. 

‘They won’t penalize us because they didn’t set the prices right. We are going to cancel the booking. Good luck to you, have a blessed day,’ the host said.


When she declined the new cost, the host offered Ariel other properties to stay in, however, she declined. The host then accused her of ‘stealing’ from ‘small businesses’ 

The host asked Ariel to cancel her reservation so that they could book someone else and made it clear that the Swiftie wouldn’t be receiving any entry codes to the property

Ariel clapped back: ‘Actually, hosts set the prices, Airbnb has no control over that. I worked in hospitality 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 make the type of threats you just made.’ 

Throughout their exchange, Ariel had also been speaking with customer support – who advised her not to cancel the booking. 

The host asked Ariel to cancel her reservation so that they could book someone else and made it clear that the Swiftie wouldn’t be receiving any entry codes to the property.

‘The sooner that you cancel, the sooner you will be able to get a new property booked,’ the host added. 

‘I will not be canceling on my end,’ Ariel replied. ‘My reservation is from this Airbnb and no other Airbnb.’

The host became more and more aggravated upon learning they would be missing out on the large sum they could make from others attending the concert. 

They added: ‘Were not booking out the biggest weekend of the fall at 50 per cent our normal nightly rate. We gave you an opportunity to stay here for additional funds, you declined. 

‘Please, let’s just move on. We do not need to waste each other’s days going back and forth saying the same thing over and over again. I am genuinely sorry for the circumstances.’

After apologizing, the host once again changed her tune when Ariel refused to cancel the booking. 


The host became more aggravated upon learning they would be missing out on the sum they could make from others attending the concert 

Ariel reiterated that an Airbnb support representative advised her to not cancel the reservation. 

The host quipped: ‘You’re welcome to justify your behavior to whoever will listen, I’m assuming you don’t have a lot friends, but that doesn’t mean we have to listen to it.’ 

The die-hard Taylor fan also posted the messages from the Airbnb customer support agent – who advised her to keep the booking.

In a follow-up video, Ariel shared a slew of other screenshots that saw the host even threatening to contact her employers and complain about her ‘dishonest’ personality. 

In the caption, Ariel branded the experience a ‘horrific nightmare’. 

She added: ‘I understand it would have been easy for me to cancel, but how do I justify this happening to another person?

‘I can’t, and her lack of professionalism and knowledge of hospitality shows as she threatens my job.’

Thousands of people flooded the comments section and claimed to have found the host’s full name and company. 

In a follow-up video, Ariel shared a slew of other screenshots that saw the host even threatening to contact her employers and complain about her ‘dishonest’ personality

The original listing has since been renamed and while it isn’t available on the US Airbnb site, it’s still available to book on the New Zealand site and is listed for $404.67 per night. 

On what seems to be the host’s website, the property is listed for $654 per night. 

According to Airbnb’s website, prices are indeed set by hosts. 

‘The total price of your Airbnb reservation is based on the nightly price set by the Host, plus fees or costs determined by either the Host or Airbnb,’ a statement on the website read. 

And when it comes to confirmed reservations, Airbnb has strict regulations. 

Its website notes that if hosts want to change the price after a customer books a reservation, they must send the customer a trip change request. At this point, it is up to the customer if they want to accept or deny the changes.

If they accept, their card will be charged. If they decline, their reservation will stay as is 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 per cent the host’s fault. You have to be on top of your pricing. You can set pricing well before dates are available. Entirely her fault.’ 

Another user added: ‘Host totally didn’t know there was gonna be a swift concert, once she found out, suddenly decides to price gouge.’ 

‘So they’re mad they  didn’t raise the prices before you booked it. Sounds like a then problem and they should get penalized for cancelling you. Greedy,’ a fourth person wrote. 

‘This person is unhinged lol. Wow,’ one TikTok user said. 

Ariel has yet to share any updates on the situation. 

Her last update came on November 3, in which she shared she was waiting for a customer service agent from Airbnb to give her a call. 

DailyMail.com has reached out to Airbnb for comment.

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