A Taylor Swift fan has been left fuming after Booking.com canceled the hotel room she booked to attend a concert before relisting it at eight times the price.
Sarah Fournier, 22, has Bad Blood with the online travel marketplace after it almost ruined her dream of attending a November 2024 Eras Tour concert in Toronto.
The Montreal native began organizing the trip with three friends as early as 15 months in advance – but even the best-laid plans can spiral into a Cruel Summer.
Knowing all too well that hotel prices would soar on the eve of the Eras Tour, Fournier swiftly booked rooms in August 2023 – before she even had tickets.
‘My first thought was to go to Booking.com,’ Fournier told CBC’s Go Public.
Sarah Fournier, 22, has Bad Blood with the online travel marketplace after it almost ruined her dream of attending a November 2024 Eras Tour concert in Toronto
A Taylor Swift fan has been left fuming after Booking.com canceled the hotel room she booked to attend a concert before relisting it at eight times the price. Pictured: Swift in 2023
Fournier’s friends (pictured) thought their Wildest Dreams were becoming a reality after booking three nights across two venues at $1,500 and securing the tickets soon afterwards
But Booking.com became the Anti-Hero when the agency sent an email saying her reservations had been canceled.
By then, Swiftie-inspired demand had skyrocketed and the site was listing similar hotel rooms for as much as $8,000.
With prices almost eight times higher than when Fournier first booked, she knew she couldn’t just Shake It Off.
Fournier decided to investigate why her bookings had been canceled.
The agency told her the reservations were canceled because the properties she had booked – Downtown Suites and Guestic Front Street – were ‘not operating’ anymore.
However, the first hotel told her the booking had been rescinded due to a ‘glitch’ on the Booking.com website.
Fournier had an inkling the offer was trouble – and decided to record the conversation when she called Guestic Front Street.
Fournier (pictured) began organizing the trip with three friends as early as 15 months in advance – but even the best-laid plans can spiral into a Cruel Summer
Booking.com became the Anti-Hero when the agency sent an email saying the reservations for Fournier and her Swiftie friends (pictured) had been canceled
After detailing what had happened with her booking, she asked the representative: ‘You don’t see an issue with that?’
‘Absolutely not,’ they replied. ‘Our goal in business is to maximize profit’.
Guestic told Fournier that her booking was one of around 60 reservations that were canceled. The hotel has since started operating under a different name but would not reveal what it was.
Booking.com told Go Public it removed both of the hotels Fournier booked from its website for failing to meet terms and conditions, though it wouldn’t give any further details.
Fournier said the company also failed to help her find alternative accommodation – only providing her with much pricier options which were further from the Swift concert venue.
Booking.com said Fournier’s experience is ‘extremely rare’ and it is ‘constantly innovating and enhancing’ its security protocols so that its 29 million listings are in ‘compliance with local laws and requirements.’
In the end, Fournier managed to find a place to stay with a family friend for free.
