REPORT: Airbnb price gouging could cost Boston Marathon runners and supporters thousands
Airbnb’s egregious price gouging continues – this time in Boston, Massachusetts around the annual Boston Marathon. At its worst, some properties are seeing a nearly 2,400 percent increase in rates – with the highest prices jumping nearly $2,000 extra per night!
Read our full report here – and the latest from the Boston Herald on the issue, below:
Report: Airbnb Rates Run Up
The Boston Herald
March 13, 2018
Boston, MA – A new report accuses Boston Airbnb hosts of jacking up prices by as much as $1,900 for people looking for a place to stay for the Boston Marathon, but the short-term rental website claims authors are biased and cherry-picked atypical listings.
The report by AirbnbWATCH claims an apartment in downtown Boston, which is normally rented for $77 per night, was listed at $2,000 per night for the weekend before the April 16 marathon.
A condominium that typically rented for $119 per night also was listed at $2,000 nightly for the same weekend, the group said, while a condo that ordinarily rented for $89 per night was listed at $1,200.
| Airbnb’s in Boston | Boston Marathon
Apr 15-16 Rate/Night |
Off Event Rate/Night | Airbnb’s in Boston | Percent Increase |
| Blurbird’s Apartment 3 ** | $937 | $193 | $744 | 485% |
| Victorian to Bauhaus, Penthouse of Hospitality by John | $1,203 | $125 | $1,078 | 855% |
| Demetrios’ Condo 3 ** | $1,200 | $89 | $1,111 | 1348% |
| Demetrios’ Condo 4 ** | $2,000 | $119 | $1,881 | 1681% |
| Kara’s Apartment 22 ** | $1,143 | $216 | $927 | 529% |
| 3 Bdrm 2BA Apt Quiet Renovated Top Loc. Parking!by John** | $1,800 | $285 | $1,515 | 531% |
| Mariana & Carlos’ Apartment ** | $1,199 | $170 | $1,029 | 705% |
| Nicholas’ Apartment – Lrg 3 Bdrm Best Location Prvt. Patio Quiet Parking | $2,000 | $77 | $1,923 | 2497% |
| Sonder’s Apartment 5 – Delightful 2BR in Downtown Crossing by Sonder ** | $759 | $229 | $530 | 231% |
| 3 BR|2.5 BA Renovated House Parking Top Location by John** | $2,216 | $475 | $1,741 | 367% |
| *All rates and unit availabilities subject to change per host preference
**Denotes commercial operator with multiple other listings including: Host Bluebird (100 listings), Host Demetrios (7 listings), Host Kara (100 listings), Host John (2 listings), Hosts Mariana & Carlos (14 listings), Host Sonder (100 listings) |
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“The facts in this report not only dismiss Airbnb’s false claims that their hosts don’t price gouge, but also showcase that their bad actors aren’t true home sharers; they are commercial Airbnb hosts who are running de facto hotels, disrupting communities, and taking housing stock off the market for long-term residents,” AirbnbWATCH spokeswoman Lauren Windsor wrote in an email.
City Councilor Lydia Edwards, who represents the North End, Charlestown and East Boston, said, “This kind of price-gouging is exactly why we want to regulate Airbnb and at the same time balance the interests of people who are just trying to pay their mortgage” by renting out a room or an apartment in their home for short amounts of time.