Affordable places to stay for Taylor Swift’s Vancouver concert weekend

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Even with a surge in demand for short-term accommodations during Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vancouver next month, fans can still find a place to stay that won’t break the bank — or their hearts.

An estimated 163,000 Swifties are expected to flock to B.C. Place for the shows on the weekend of Dec. 6, 7, and 8, driving the nightly rates of some nearby accommodations, including hotels and Airbnbs, to prices in the thousands.

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Ky Miller of Denver, Colo., is in a frantic search for a new place to stay after her Airbnb host cancelled her three-night reservation for the concert weekend.

“Once I reached out to the host and told them I was coming into town for Taylor Swift, they cancelled my booking at $120 per night and reposted the rental for $700 per night,” Miller told Postmedia.

While the sudden rise in short-term accommodation costs has led some fans to sell their tickets rather than pay, online rental listings still offer a glimmer of hope.

Adam Laker, chairman of the Hotel Association of Vancouver, says that for ticketholders of Swift’s Sunday concert, there are dozens of downtown hotel rooms available for booking that night.

“While hotel occupancy is around 80 per cent for Friday and Saturday, three- to five-star hotels downtown still have rooms available for Sunday,” Laker said.

“And because there are plenty of unbooked rooms that day, prices are much lower than for the rest of the weekend.”

The cost for a night’s stay for two people on Sunday at hotels like the Quality Inn, Pan Pacific, and YWCA ranges from $300 to $600 before taxes, according to their websites.

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For fans willing to commute a bit further for the concert, accommodations are more affordable. Hotels and Airbnbs in cities farther out, such as Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack, have rooms listed as available on concert weekend for between $100 and $400 per night.

Just over the border in the U.S., some hotels in Bellingham, Lynden and Point Roberts are priced between $100 and $300 per night, according to their websites.

As the Swiftie craze takes over, many Vancouver residents are listing their homes online for the three-day concerts. However, these short-term rentals may violate local regulations requiring hosts to be primary residents with a valid license, potentially resulting in fines of up to $5,000.

Jake Nova from Denver, Colo., and three friends struck gold this week after posting in a Swiftie Facebook forum, offering a spare ticket to their show in exchange for a place for all of them to stay during the concert weekend.

“We connected with one of the girls who commented on the post, and we’ll be staying at her place just around the corner from the venue,” said Nova.

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“She’s giving the ticket to her best friend for her 30th birthday — it’s the epitome of Swiftie energy.”

sgrochowski@postmedia.com

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