Warning as Airbnb host charges £1.2k a night in St Helens during Eurovision

With the news that Liverpool will be the 67th host city of Eurovision in 2023, there has been a huge scramble for accommodation on the weekend of the continental music contest.

With prices surging and rooms booking up in Liverpool, the scramble has extended across Merseyside and into St Helens as people search for a place to stay.

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The Airbnb listing for £1280 at the Eccleston Arms (Image: NQ)

Aware of the demand for a hotel close to Liverpool, a host on Airbnb has been offering a room at the Eccleston Arms for £1,280 a night on the weekend of May 13.

This news came as a shock to the Prescot Road hotel and restaurant, who confirmed they do not have a profile on Airbnb's online booking platform.

For the weekend of Eurovision, the Eccleston Arms said their rooms were booked out "very quickly" after the announcement, but this was through their "usual platforms" on their website and on booking.com.

The average price of a booking for this weekend was confirmed as £270 per night; more than a thousand pounds less than what was advertised on Airbnb.

Following the high-priced listing at the St Helens hotel, Airbnb stated that they have suspended the host while they investigate and have taken the listing off the website.

Hotel prices have surged as Liverpool was named as the host city for Eurovision next year (Image: Wigan and Leigh Carers Centre)

An Airbnb spokesperson said: "We have suspended this Host while we investigate.

"These listings have not received any bookings and the average price of booked accommodation in Liverpool on Airbnb during Eurovision is around £230 per night, which helps local families boost their earnings and benefit from visitors to the city."

The booking service also confirmed that the host - who is usually the property owner or is listing on behalf of the owner - has not received any money as they control payments until 24 hours after a guest has checked into a listing.

As Airbnb investigate the case, it is unclear whether the host had booked rooms at the Eccleston Arms and selling them for inflated prices, or was using fraudulent methods to charge for a room online.

The company also issued a warning for guests to check the history and reviews on the host and listing to ensure the booking is legitimate.

The Eccleston Arms also stated that they have had issues with booking.com over the weekend of Eurovision as their hotel has been overbooked 19 times online - another issue which is under investigation to be resolved.

The Eccleston Arms said they had no knowledge of the Airbnb booking (Image: Google Maps)

For the weekend of Eurovision in Liverpool, a search for a hotel room across the major booking platforms - including Airbnb, booking.com, Trivago, and Expedia - shows that there are currently no rooms available in St Helens.

As hotels have booked up and prices have surged across Merseyside, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has raised his concerns as the music contest comes to the region.

In a statement, he said: "It is so disappointing to see some businesses in our region who have jumped at the chance to grossly inflate prices - with some even cancelling existing bookings, only to re-advertise the same thing at many times the previous price."

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram (Image: Liverpool City Region)

In relation to the issue of surge pricing in Merseyside, a spokesperson for booking.com added: "At Booking.com we understand that there is huge interest and excitement around the Eurovision Song Contest coming to Liverpool in 2023.

"While hotels and other accommodations are in complete control of the availability and prices they list on Booking.com, if a customer does have any issues with a booking then our customer service team is available 24/7 to support.

"This is a great opportunity for properties in Liverpool to showcase their City and be part of ensuring all fans have a positive experience, which starts when they book their accommodation at a great rate.

"We always actively monitor for any fraudulent activity and can take action as needed, including suspending or removing a property from our platform."