Liverpool houseboat on Airbnb for £2,500-a-night during Eurovision

Luxury houseboat in Liverpool is listed on Airbnb for £2,500-a-night during Eurovision – with hotels in host city selling out despite fans not yet able to buy tickets

• A barge on Liverpool Waterfront is being marketed for £5000 over Eurovision
• The event will come to Liverpool on May 13 this year
• Hotels across the city are all but sold out despite no tickets being released yet

A luxury Liverpool waterfront barge is being advertised for £2500 a night on Airbnb  over the May Eurovision weekend with all hotel spaces in the city centre reportedly sold out. 

The Eurovision Song Contest is being held in the city on May 13 after the UK offered to stage it for last year’s winners Ukraine – who are locked in a war with Russia and unable to host themselves. 

Within minutes of Liverpool being announced as the host city in October last year, hotels booked out across the city with room prices rising to unseemly highs, reported the Liverpool Echo. 

To stay at the barge over the Eurovision weekend from May 12 to May 14, the total cost would be £5000 plus a £105 cleaning fee – despite the fact no tickets have been released for the event. 

A luxury converted houseboat is one of many properties available in Liverpool for Eurovision 

It is being marketed for £2500 a night over the Eurovision weekend in May 

The houseboat is furnished with 6 modern double bedrooms 

Operated by Boutique Barge, the converted vessel comes with 6 modern bedrooms and even a cinema room. 

The listing reads: ‘This enormous converted barge has been fitted with 6 modern bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms and power showers, allowing it to accommodate up to 16 people. 

‘The newly renovated barge is stylish and spacious with its own cinema room, fitted with a projector, smart tv and black out blinds. 

‘There are roomy social spaces both inside and outside.’ 

The luxury pad has a fully kitted out cinema room where prospective fans could watch the show 

It’s located just a stone’s throw from the M&S Bank arena where Eurovision takes place

The barge is a popular spot on the site and has an average weekend rental price of between £500 to £3000 a night depending on the season. 

A weekend break on the barge in October would cost just £1600 all in.  

Located just a stones throw from the 11,000 seater Liverpool M&S Bank arena where the event will take place, the barge is in an enviable position for anyone looking to attend the events. 

However, despite accommodation in the city being more or less completely sold out, tickets to the event still haven’t gone on public sale. 

In a short statement on their website, the organisers explained why there is a natural delay in ticket allocation. 

They said: ‘Ticket prices, availability, and even the ticket provider, will take a little longer to decide while organisers evaluate how much space is needed for the production inside the venue. 

‘Because the Eurovision Song Contest is a live TV production some sections of the seating may need to be altered to make way for cameras, technical equipment and the stage. 

‘This is entirely dependent on the chosen venue.’

The Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson and the Mayor of Turin Stefano Lo Russo pose for a picture while officially handing over the Eurovision Keys to Liverpool

The Royal Liver Building in Liverpool, Merseyside, is illuminated as the Eurovision Song Contest is officially passed to the city

The international music show will take place at the 11,000-capacity Liverpool Arena in May, culminating in the grand final on May 13

Yesterday the official keys of the Eurovision Song Contest have been handed from the previous host city Turin to Liverpool in a grand ceremony.

Ukrainian tears of gratitude flowed after Britain stepped in to host the competition on their behalf with a prediction this year’s event in Liverpool will be ‘the best show ever’.

Mayor of Turin Stefano Lo Russo and the mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, sealed the handover, known as the Insignia, with a handshake.

But continued accommodation uncertainty has been a worrying trend in Liverpool’s Eurovision build up. 

Shortly after the city was chosen in October, multiple Airbnb users reported their Airbnb hosts were cancelling pre-existing bookings for the weekend Eurovision is taking place.

Prices to stay in the city on the Eurovision weekend, taking place on May 13 also rocketed, with some Airbnb hosts offering accommodation for more than £10,000.

Booking.com reported 99 per cent of its accommodation in the city was fully booked, with the few hotels it has left going for up to £2,000.

A one-night stay on May 13 at the Eleanor Rigby Apartments Stanley Street would cost a couple £5,760, a ‘cozy’ two bed Liverpool home would set you back £5,375, and a house, that sleeps 10, was seen going for more than £8,000. 

Some savvy Eurovision fans who had pre-booked accommodation in the city in anticipation that the contest would be held there, however, have been left disappointed after hosts suddenly cancelled their reservations. 

Hosts are cancelling pre-existing bookings in Liverpool after it was announced the city would host the Eurovision song contest on behalf of Ukraine

One man said he booked and paid for the Airbnb for the song contest but it was cancelled 12 hours later. He claims it was then put back on the site at a surcharge of 204 per cent

Another man, who booked a hotel in anticipation that Liverpool would host the contest, saw his booking cancelled claiming his credit card had expired

However, despite the online uproar, an Airbnb spokesman refuted the claims at the time, saying: ‘We have not seen evidence to support these claims and we take a range of actions to deter Hosts from cancelling stays, including applying fees, penalties and blocking Hosts from accepting further stays. 

‘One in four guests say they choose Airbnb to save money and the average price per night of a stay during Eurovision is just £228. 

‘In the unlikely event of an issue, our 24/7 support team is on-hand to help.’

With rooms still going at a premium three months later, Liverpool City Council moved yesterday to assuage the worries of travelling fans.  

Director of Culture Clare McColgan stressed that the council ‘will make some announcements shortly about other accommodations.’

MailOnline has approached Liverpool City Council for more information on their planned extra accommodation.  

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