Taylor Swift fans shocked to end up in shared Toronto condo after booking hotel room

Two Swifties were stunned to find out that the $1,800 Hotels.com booking they made for the Taylor Swift concert in Toronto was not for a hotel room.

It’s already been two months since Taylor Swift took over Toronto with her ‘Eras Tour’ causing ticket and hotel prices to go through the roof.

But some fans are still trying to get refunds for expensive accommodations they booked for the show that they believe were not as advertised.

Alicia Keim and her friend are self proclaimed “Swifties” and said they were shocked to book a hotel room on the website Hotels.com, only to end up in condominium with other people.

“I think it’s evident that the website is not doing its due diligence checking these listings,” said Alicia Keim of Vancouver, who travelled to Toronto to see Swift this past November.

Hotel room prices were at a premium when Swift was in Toronto and Keim said she knew accommodations would be expensive, but she didn’t want to miss her favourite artist.

“I saw her 1989 tour in Vancouver and fell more in love with her,” said Keim. “It was the best show I had ever been to and now the Eras Tour is the best show I’ve ever been to.”

Keim booked a hotel room on Hotels.com and agreed to pay $1,820 for a three-night stay. Keim said she assumed by using the website she was getting a hotel room, but when she got to the building in downtown Toronto there were immediate red flags.

“They had this really weird check-in process. Someone would text you a bunch of stuff and then someone was going to call you,” said Keim.

When she and her friend got to their floor it was clear it wasn’t a hotel.

“The elevator doors opened up and there was a man there, he had a dog and he was wearing sweatpants,” said Keim.

‘What is this?’

Keim said she was shocked to find out they would have to share a space with the man, his dog and other people in a condo and not a hotel room.

“When we got in this room it was someone’s apartment, someone’s living quarters and I said what is this? And he said didn’t you read the fine print in the listing?” said Keim.

Keim said she and her friend didn’t feel safe, so they didn’t stay and found an actual hotel room. However, when they contacted Hotels.com for a refund they were told the room they had booked was non-refundable.

“I would like a refund, but I think I’m past that,” said Keim. “I don’t want anyone else to lose their hard-earned money.”

CTV News reached out to Hotels.com on Keim’s behalf and a spokesperson for parent company Expedia said in a statement, “We have an ongoing investigation with this property. While they have the proper registration information, we are ensuring they are listed on the appropriate brand site and have the correct listing information.”

“We have a full-time Trust & Safety team that is dedicated to investigating these matters. While we cannot share details of our internal processes, we have hidden this listing while we conduct our investigation. We encourage travelers to reach out to our 24/7 customer support team should something like this occur during their travel so we can help with relocation. We are sorry for Alicia’s experience, and we are working to ensure this does not happen to future travelers.”

Keim was refunded $900, half the cost of her Hotels.com booking. She said she wanted to share her story so anyone using the website would be sure to check and make sure they’re booking an actual hotel room and not shared accommodations with someone they don’t know.

When CTV News checked the website, we found other condos are being listed in the hotel section. If you’re booking a hotel stay, read the listing carefully and consider calling ahead so you know exactly what kind of room you’ll be getting.