- Swifties complained that they were overcharged for hotel rooms and events
- Guests who couldn’t pay for the $500 room were asked to forfeit $1,200 tickets
After a Taylor Swift super fan went viral for booking 191 hotel rooms in New Orleans, Louisiana ahead of her Eras Tour stop, Swifties are speaking out about the experience, with some comparing it to the failed music festival Fyre Fest.
Rebecca Fox was charging a deposit of $25 on top of almost $500 for hotel rooms when the Eras Tour concerts were being held at the Caesars Superdome on October 25, 26, and 27.
She said she paid almost $500 per booking for 191 rooms at the Holiday Inn on Loyola Avenue in late 2023 and said she wasn’t up-charging, she simply wanted to spend time with ‘like-minded Swifties.’
Guests were promised a Taylor-themed goodie bag, as well as a pool party with a DJ and cocktails, scavenger hunts, a talent show, a karaoke party, friendship bracelet making, and a swamp tour. But Swifties were left furious, claiming she didn’t deliver and essentially charged them for free hotel amenities.
Rebecca has since responded to critics of the event, admitting to DailyMail.com that ‘things did not go as planned but there was no ill intent.’
The Holiday Inn on Loyola costs $137 a night for the weekend of November 22, and is a three-star hotel near the Superdome, where the Shake It Off singer performed.
Rebecca was in charge of a private Facebook group of fans staying at the hotel, which was renamed Holiday House as an ode to the popstar’s Rhode Island mansion.
One content creator in the US with the username jump4js made a five-part series about her experience, and explained she was one of the first 50 people in the Holiday House group after initially being on the waitlist for one of the rooms.
Many commenters said they wanted to book a room with her, but were only able to if they spent additional money on the events she was throwing, on top of the $500 to book the room.
‘She would threaten to kick people out of the group, she would threaten to cancel their hotel room,’ jump4js explained if people wanted to attend outside events held in the city.
She sent a friend of a friend in her place and Rebecca ended up getting upset.
The creator then shared a screenshot from the Facebook group that showed Rebecca saying that if they could no longer attend, their room could only be refunded if they sold their concert ticket to her.
‘I don’t get it, like how is an Eras ticket worth the same as a hotel room?! There’s no way! Who would do trust in that and give her the tickets?!’ one woman asked, as Eras tickets in New Orleans were selling for more than $1,200 for the least expensive seat, and the hotel rooms cost $500, leaving commenters deeply confused.
‘What does concert tickets have to do with the hotel room? Like, she thought people would just sell her their tickets? I am so confused,’ another asked.
One commenter said, ‘I believe she said at one point (fairly recently) that if she didn’t get her quota, she was going to have to sell the tickets to pay for the HH events. She had quite a few tickets in various sections.’
In a text message to news outlet Fox 8, Rebecca said that she had retained an attorney, who was out of the country.
When contacted by DailyMail.com, Rebecca responded: ‘My lawyer has advised me not to give an official statement until he returns.
‘But I think anyone can see that everyone got their rooms and everyone was safe and telling me to kill myself or seek help over a missing DJ and an unfilled goody bag is absolutely unbelievable. Things did not go as planned but there was no ill intent.’
According to Fox 8, she also posted on Facebook: ‘I know I failed. I’ve admitted I failed.’
Other creators have also shared how displeased they were with the events, which they paid for as additional costs on top of the $500 room.
One TikTok creator showed texts that said the $75 pool party, which was advertised as an ‘unforgettable’ experience with passed appetizers, a cash bar, and DJS, ended up having only two bartenders, no music, no towels, and no place to change.
‘So basically she was charging people to use the FREE amenities at the hotel?? and threw in some appetizers,’ one commenter responded to the picture of the empty pool.
Paige Bennett-Primke, who is based in New Orleans, discussed the immersive photo experience she attended that Rebecca organized, and said she wanted to buy a ticket at the door to join friends.
Hotel guests who had already paid the $500 fee could pay a separate fee to attend the experience, where they could take pictures and buy items from vendors, and outsiders who were not staying in the room block could also pay for the experience.
When Paige went to the event at the hotel she realized that no one was checking tickets, so anyone could walk in, which was disheartening to the people who had purchased tickets.
Paige called the photo experience ‘really disappointing,’ and said while there were good vendors doing hair and glitter and selling jewelry, the photos ‘left a lot to be desired.’
One commenter wrote, ‘Sadly this has been building for weeks and now here we are. I hope she refunds all and makes this right.’
