VANCOUVER, B.C. — As the popstar herself might say, this is one narrative that Taylor Swift fans would "very much like to be excluded from": Just days before three Eras Tour performances in Vancouver, B.C., many ticketholders are scrambling to find affordable lodging near the venue.
Swift is set to perform this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Vancouver, B.C., at BC Place. Still, desperate stories of last-minute cancellations by rental hosts and booking agents are pouring into Facebook groups.
“It’s really stressful because it’s a lot of money,” said Mariellen Hubbard, a mother and Taylor Swift fan from Virginia.
Hubbard paid in full for her Vancouver hotel back in January through a small, lesser-known third-party booking site, where she found a hotel room she said "wasn’t quite as much money."
But when she called the hotel this week, she was told her reservation had been canceled.
"I'm like, 'No, no, I didn't cancel it,'" she said.
She said she did not cancel it and is not sure why it was suddenly canceled. With days to go before the show, the hotel told her they did not have any room for her.
Now, she is urging other Swifties to call and verify their reservations before getting there.
"I would have showed up on Thursday and had no hotel room if I hadn't called," said Hubbard.
As a result of the last-minute timing of cancelations like these, Hubbard and others are having to rebook elsewhere, at significantly higher rates, if they want a place to sleep after the concert.
“What I had to pay was a lot more than the exorbitant amount I’d already paid,” said Hubbard.
Even Pacific Northwest residents are having similar issues. Another mother from Portland, who did not want to be identified, told KING 5 over the phone that her Airbnb host canceled at the minute, citing “needed repairs on the unit,” with no further details.
Just last week, an Australian mother said her rental host informed her that her Vancouver, B.C. apartment needed repairs, despite her paying thousands upfront months ago and flying her family of four from Sydney.
"I called him out on it. I said, 'You know, I’m happy to stay in an apartment that’s undergoing repairs because I don’t have any other options.' But no," she said. "They can make that excuse and get away with it, right?"
The cancelations, in general, could also have something to do with B.C.'s new regulations that went into effect in May, which require that owners may only rent out their primary residence, a secondary suite or an accessory dwelling unit. This means hosts with multiple homes may not use them for short-term rentals, like Airbnb stays. The B.C. government is threatening to fine or take to court rental platforms that don’t provide proof of compliant listings.
Because last-minute rebookings near BC Place are highly inflated due to increased demand, many concertgoers are pivoting their plans instead and opting to drive back over the border into the northwesternmost communities of Washington just to rest their heads on the night of the show.
According to Hotels.com, there are only three available hotels in the western cities closest to the border. Hotel options improve once you get into Bellingham, but many hotels have only one or two rooms left, if any.
For those still looking for flights, be prepared to spend a pretty penny: a nonstop flight from Portland to Vancouver, for example, is currently priced at around $1,500.
Also, many Swifties are taking to social media to voice concerns about missing Swift's show due to possible long waits at the border. The Canada Border Services Agency says on its website that it is prepared for peak periods. However, KING 5’s inquiry into whether additional resources are being added this weekend has not yet been answered.
Check this page for updated wait times.