A Taylor Swift fan has explained why she booked 191 hotel rooms in New Orleans ahead of the singer’s shows in the city.
During a recent interview with WVUE FOX 8, Louisiana native Rebecca Fox explained she first booked these rooms last year, when Swift first announced that she’d be performing in New Orleans in October 2024.
She said the staff at the Holiday Inn on Loyola Avenue were a little concerned when she enquired about booking the huge number of rooms.
“They were extremely apprehensive,” Fox said about the hotel. “But I think once their marketing and sales person said, ‘I don’t think y’all understand what Taylor can do and will bring to our property,’ they changed their minds. And it’s been exciting ever since.”
Fox’s idea came about after she attended Swift’s concert in Arizona in 2023. At the time, she noticed the high cost of hotels in Glendale, some of which were charging people double for rooms.
She said she didn’t want any Swifties in New Orleans to have a similar experience, so paid nearly $500 for each room at the Holiday Inn last year. Since then, she’s been managing inquiries on Facebook for the rooms and said she’s been doing so without increasing the costs of rooms to make a profit.
“We want to make sure that New Orleans is the best and is the most welcoming, the safest, and that they have the best time here,” she explained.
The “All Too Well” singer is completing her record-breaking Eras tour in the next two months, with her next shows scheduled for October 25, 26, and 27 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
In November 2023, Fox first shared a video to TikTok about booking the hotel rooms, joking she’d formed “a Swiftie convention, accidentally.”
“Just to clarify this is not a business venture,” Fox said in the social media post. “The purpose of this was never to make money or profit off of people. It was simply to have a good time and have other people like me to hang out with.”
She acknowledged that the people in her hotel block are extremely nice, and they plan to walk to and from Caesars Superdome – which is four blocks away from the hotel – together for the show.
The Independent has contacted Fox for comment.
Leading up to Swift’s visit to New Orleans, the state’s Attorney General Liz Murrill discussed the recent increase in hotel bookings. In her message posted to her X account (formerly Twitter), she noted that hotels were allegedly changing people’s prices for rooms because of the show, and urged people to file a complaint if this had happened to them.
“It’s been brought to my attention that some hotels and businesses in New Orleans are allegedly canceling reservations made in advance & up-charging rooms ahead of the big Taylor Swift concerts this weekend. Taking advantage of Louisiana residents & tourists visiting our State is wrong,” she said. “We encourage anyone with a legitimate complaint against the hotel to file a consumer dispute with our office.”
Local TV station WDSU shared that according to the New Orleans Tourism Commission, hotels are at 100 percent capacity for the weekend of Swift’s concerts. However, there is limited availability for rooms on Sunday night, October 27.
Swift kicked off the final leg of her Eras tour in Miami last weekend, with three back-to-back shows. Her tour will officially come to an end this year, with her final show in Vancouver, Canada on December 8.
