A Liverpool-based Airbnb host has banned people from the same city from renting their luxury apartment – despite the rental company saying they are “passionate” about the city.
The hosts, a duo called Katy and Joe who have rented out their accommodation through the company, have refused to accept a booking from another Liverpudlian because previous guests in town have caused “thousands of pounds of damage”.
The angry mum took to social media after Liverpool-based company Host SoSimple denied her and her two children a stay in a luxury apartment in a warehouse listed on the website. popular accommodation booking.
A Liverpool-based Airbnb host refused to accept a booking from fellow Scouser who tweeted his dismay, tagging the business and getting a response from owners.
But the host said past cases of families overcrowding properties and causing damage meant they were no longer accepting bookings from locals, despite trying to book for a Monday and Tuesday.
In her online rant, Connie Grime wrote: ‘A little shocked I just tried to book this apartment in Liverpool for me and my kids and they don’t accept bookings from Scousers.’
The post was followed by a screenshot with a response from the pair who allegedly own the property who said that due to “past issues” they and the company could not accept bookings from people from Liverpool.
Connie Grime couldn’t believe she and her two children were denied the apartment booking
Responding to shocked commenters on Facebook, Ms Grime said: ‘It’s just madness they actually admitted it was because we were from Liverpool.
The full response from the rental company acting on behalf of the owner’s interests said: ‘Thank you for your message.
‘Unfortunately we cannot accept guests who come from Liverpool themselves as we have had a lot of trouble with this in the past where guests have told us they are coming with family and they are not and had a lot of people coming who weren’t part of the guest list.
“Of course, I understand that this does not apply to everyone who requests it in these circumstances.
Connie Grime got this response from the trio of owners who let Host SoSimple manage their property
‘I hope you understand and I sincerely hope you can find accommodation for your stay.
‘Huge apologies.’
In a separate statement, Host So Simple, who run a number of luxury apartments on Merseyside, said they were “passionate” about the city of Liverpool.
In an explanation of why the mother was denied a stay at the property, the company said it “welcomes everyone to our properties”.
However, the property owner had previously had an issue with ‘locals’ ‘creating thousands of pounds of damage’ to the £55-a-night property.
A spokesperson for Host So Simple said: ‘We act in the interests of our customers as if every reservation travels to us.’
The mother-of-two was shocked when the hosts admitted it was because she was from Liverpool
“We are a young company based in Liverpool, owned and operated by Scousers and we welcome everyone to our properties on the terms of each individual booking.
‘It’s an industry-wide problem that parties across the country will be booking luxury apartments and creating thousands of pounds in damages, and in this case the property has already had a booking problem with locals, which is why they came to Host Si Simple to manage their experience.
“Last minute local bookings have created problems for us in the past and the owner has stipulated that for this specific property we should be on high alert.”
The spokesperson added: “It’s surprising to see this go as far as we’ve spoken directly with [the woman] and we apologized wholeheartedly for the way our message was conveyed.
“The problem is the local people and not the Scousers, and policies like this are in place across the country.
“We offered him a 50% discount on a stay at the property of his choice and to meet in person so that we explained our decision.
“We hope she will accept our offer.
People reacted online in disbelief, with Tammy Boden – from Liverpool – saying: “I won’t get many bookings with this discriminatory attitude and views.”
Mandy Molby said, ‘Omg amazing,’ and Charlotte Lee added, ‘OMG Con!! That’s awful,’ along with an angry face emoji.
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