Taylor Swift tour sparks ’Bad Blood' with Marriott and Hilton over weddings
Two brides-to-be outside Boston say a Taylor Swift concert next spring has them feeling anything but a “Love Story” with their respective hotels.
Instead, it sounds like a case of hotel owners attempting to ditch the brides at the altar in pursuit of much higher room rates.
This all began when Taylor Swift announced “The Eras Tour” last week. The concert tour runs from next March through early August and makes a two-night stop in May at Gillette Stadium outside Boston. Hotels near the stadium appeared to do the math on how much they could charge concertgoers instead of existing business on the books.
Christina Leonard, a bride-to-be with a room block at a Home2 Suites by Hilton two minutes from the stadium, told Boston’s WBZ-TV the hotel initially canceled her reservations. Leonard had booked 10 rooms for $169 a night prior to the Swift concert announcement but received an email canceling the room block after the tour was revealed.
A manager later told her over the phone the hotel could charge as much as $1,000 a night with the Swift concert going on down the street, Leonard said.
Hotels aren’t as liable as airlines for canceled reservations, and there’s a general sense hotel booking guidelines tend to protect the property in the event a guest cancels and not the other way around. What protections do exist for guests generally only kick in if the hotel denies you entry at check-in — not canceling a room months in advance.
A Hilton spokesperson told TPG “the Home2 Suites by Hilton Walpole Foxboro is an independently owned and operated property and I cannot speak on the hotel’s behalf” before referring TPG directly to the hotel’s general manager. He did not respond in time for publication.
It should be noted that, while hotels are often independently owned and operated from the major brands, companies like Hilton do issue brand standards that dictate what owners can and can’t do while operating a hotel under various brand flags like Home2 Suites.
But Leonard’s story has a happy ending of sorts: The Home2 Suites offered to reinstate her room block after news broke of the cancellation and even offered the bride and groom a free stay for their wedding weekend.
But that’s not the only case of a hotel in the area looking to cash in on Swiftie frenzy.
Another bride-to-be says the Renaissance Boston Patriot Place Hotel, located within a shopping and entertainment complex next to the stadium, wants to jack up her hotel rates in light of the concert.
Arianna Stevenson is slated to have her wedding at the Renaissance next May on one of the nights Swift is performing at the stadium next door. She signed a contract with rates at $250 a night, but there was a clause in the contract stipulating a special event could send the rates flying. It certainly did, as the hotel now wants to charge $750 a night — a figure Stevenson says may cause her to cancel her wedding if she can’t find more affordable options nearby.
Given what the manager at the Home2 Suites — typically a more affordable brand than Renaissance — thinks he can charge, it’s hard to fathom too many hotel rooms in the area being easy on the wallet the night of Stevenson’s wedding.
An attorney told WBZ there are consumer protection laws in Massachusetts that allow a person to ready their finances in a reasonable amount of time to pay the new cost, but it doesn’t appear as though there is anything preventing the Renaissance owner from tripling the price on the original rate.
Marriott didn’t respond to TPG’s request for comment.
Perhaps it decided to “Shake It Off” and just enjoy being able to sell out its hotel at much steeper costs.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.