Taylor Swift fans lose out on hotel rooms after 'double-booking issue'

According to the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, their booking system experienced "an operational system error" which resulted in a significant overbooking of rooms for 28 and 29 June, 2024—the two nights of Swift's Eras tour. Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP

Taylor Swift tickets have not even gone on sale yet but there is already Bad Blood between fans and hotels.

Shortly after the star announced two dates in June 2024, there were accusations of "rampant price gouging" by Dublin hotels from Independent TD Thomas Pringle. Now, one hotel in particular has drawn the ire of Irish Swifties.

Over the weekend, a number of people who had booked hotel stays as soon as the tour dates were announced on June 20 received emails to say their bookings had been cancelled. Niall Healy booked a room at the Radisson Blu Royal for Friday, June 28, next year for his partner to take their 12-year-old daughter to the concert. They are due to travel from Cork.

He received confirmation of the booking at the time but on Sunday night, he received an email saying there was a "double-booking issue".

Mr Healy contacted the hotel to voice his dissatisfaction and “I got a reply back from their reservations manager to say that there was nothing they could do for me.

“They accepted the booking for the agreed rate and suddenly it's not available anymore. I've booked elsewhere but for €500. That's €245 out of pocket as they don't follow through on their reservations,” he said.

Aoife Cheung, had been planning on travelling from Galway to attend the concert in Dublin. She said she booked a room for two people, at a cost of €252, in the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel within five minutes of the concerts being announced.

Ms Cheung said that tickets have not gone on sale yet but with hotel prices these days it “only made sense to book in advance because it’s a known trend now that hotels shoot up prices during concerts and big events”.

She said:

I felt so disappointed and frustrated when I received the message that the room was cancelled—especially with no explanation.

“When I asked why, they said they were overbooked but I find it difficult to believe since they had rooms available on their official website. I also booked it over a year in advance.” 

According to the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, their booking system experienced "an operational system error" which resulted in a significant overbooking of rooms for 28 and 29 June, 2024—the two nights of Swift's Eras tour.

The hotel said that an investigation between management and their booking system provider is underway and expressed their deep regret for the inconvenience caused. It said that the issue affected over 800 bookings which it cannot accommodate. All of the people who spoke to the Irish Examiner had booked their stays through booking.com.

A spokesperson for booking.com said: "We are aware of the issue affecting the Radisson Hotel booking system, which has led to a number of reservations being impacted. While this issue is currently under urgent investigation, we are supporting any affected customers."

The hotel booking site recommended alternative accommodation to those impacted but the majority are double or triple the price fans had originally made their booking for.

Ms Cheung said that something must be done about hotel prices being hiked up when there is a major concert or event. She said that she is considering heading to the concerts in Madrid now because the hotel prices are much cheaper than what they are here.

She said:

It’s unfair of hotels to ask people to pay a majority of their wages for a one-night stay. They are ruining the experience.

Ciaran Hagan, from Belfast, booked for the two concert nights as soon as the dates were confirmed as "I know how expensive hotels get when there is a big concert". He said that he has not been able to find affordable accommodation since his two-night booking was cancelled.

He may have to travel back by bus following the concert but said it can be a nightmare and is not a safe option for younger fans. Mr Hagan also said that he would now seriously consider travelling to cities outside of Ireland for gigs as the current situation in Dublin is "very off-putting".