How far do you go for fandom?
Taylor Swift is back in North America for the last leg of her sold-out Eras Tour, and one superfan is on a mission to make the experience unforgettable for Swifties. Rebecca Fox, a resident of New Orleans, has booked 191 rooms at the Holiday Inn for nearly $500 per room this weekend. Her motive is not to sell these rooms for a profit but to build a Swiftie community.
This initiative began with her own Eras Tour experience when she attended the concert in Phoenix, Arizona. She told People that she spent less than 24 hours in the city and regretted not hanging out with other fans and trading bracelets, which has become a part of the Eras Tour experience. When she realized that the pop icon might be coming to her city, she hatched a plan to do it better the second time around.
She didn’t want to drive to the venue and back. “I want to actually be immersed in this,” she said. “I want to enjoy every moment of it, for the whole three days that she’s here. How can I do that? I selfishly plan the events that I would want to go to.”
Before the tour was officially announced, she reached out to the Superdome to inquire about the possibility of Swift performing there, sensing that there was something they weren’t disclosing. Thus began her mission.
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Last year, she first booked 20 rooms at the Hyatt Regency, but with growing numbers, she moved to the Holiday Inn close to the venue. She managed inquiries for rooms through Facebook and turned it into a convention with Taylor Swift-themed events; the hotel earned the nickname “Holiday House” after one of Swift’s former homes. She didn’t upcharge anyone but asked for a deposit of $25, which will be refunded at the end of their stay. In a TikTok, she explained that she was not doing this for money. “It was simply to have a good time and have other people like me to hang out with.”
@infoxicating_Here is an update on our Swiftie hotel block in New Orleans for next October at our Holiday House. Be sure to follow me here as well as on our group on the site with a little blue F at Eras Tour NOLA Hotel Block for more information♬ original sound – Rebecca’s Version 💜 🪩 🎀
Around 600 people will be staying at the same hotel and walking to and from the venue together. “Before this, I literally only knew one other Swiftie in New Orleans, and now I have probably 40 really, really dear friends that live here, and I have thousands all over the world,” Fox told People.
Pop icon Taylor Swift has taken the world by storm with her sold-out Eras Tour. Everywhere the tour has gone since it started in spring 2023, it has boosted economies and stopped traffic. There have also been seismic activities as dancing Swifties caused “Swift Quake.” However, it has also led to people getting scammed and hotels charging exorbitant prices for the dates that the singer comes to town.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated on X (formerly Twitter) that some hotels were canceling reservations and overcharging guests, and urged consumers to file a complaint if they encounter such issues.
It’s been brought to my attention that some hotels in New Orleans are allegedly cancelling reservations made in advance & up-charging rooms ahead of the #TaylorSwiftErasTour this weekend. Taking advantage of Louisiana residents & tourists visiting our State is wrong.
🔗You can… pic.twitter.com/sXr7tQMepW— Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) October 22, 2024
Fox witnessed this during her concert experience in Arizona and wanted to prevent it from happening by booking these hotel rooms. She insists that she’s doing this at cost. “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 said.
New Orleans will see a boost in tourism when Swifties are in town this weekend, and the effects might be felt throughout the state. City hotels are fully booked on Friday and Saturday nights (October 25-26) and are at 80% capacity on Sunday.
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