Latest news with #JamieLeeWatkins
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
‘My flabber has never been so gasted': Shock as Airbnb host rejects guests because they're Welsh
Two friends were left shocked after being rejected from their Airbnb booking because they are Welsh. Jemma Louise Gough, 38, and Jamie Lee Watkins, 37, from Cwmbran, in southeast Wales, booked a one-night stay in Manchester for a concert at the Co-op Live Arena in November. The pair told the Airbnb host they were traveling from Wales when arranging the stay. But just over an hour later, they saw that their payment had been refunded, and their booking request had been declined. Upon asking the host why the booking had been refused, the host responded: 'Because you're from Wales.' The friends are accusing the owner of discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. The legislation protects people from prejudice in the workplace and in wider society, including on the grounds of nationality. On social media, Jemma Gough called the comment 'absolutely horrendous.' Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Jemma said 'my flabber had never been so gasted.' 'When I heard that my mouth hit the floor,' she said. The school support officer told BBC Radio Wales that it made her feel like an outsider and not welcome. She said: 'It was pure discrimination just from where we're from. 'I am so proud to be Welsh, I think that's why I decided to speak out. 'I want to challenge these narrow views.' A spokesperson for Airbnb told The Independent: 'Discrimination, including on the basis of nationality, has no place on Airbnb. As soon as this report was brought to our attention, we reached out to the guest to provide our support and suspended the host while we investigate this matter.'
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Airbnb host suspended after rejecting Cwmbran guests because they are Welsh
Two women were left "gobsmacked" after an Airbnb host rejected a request from them because they are from Louise Gough, 38, and Jamie Lee Watkins, 37, from Cwmbran, Torfaen, booked a stay in Manchester ahead of watching Australian DJ Sonny Fodera at the Co-op Live Arena in their booking the friends told the Airbnb host they were coming from Wales for the gig, before seeing their payment had been refunded and their booking request had been they asked the host why, she replied: "Because you're from Wales."Airbnb said the host, who did not respond further to the pair, had been suspended while it investigated, adding discrimination "has no place on Airbnb". Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Jemma said "my flabber had never been so gasted". "When I heard that my mouth hit the floor, utter shock," said Jemma, adding they were "pretty much speechless"."It was pure discrimination of where we are from."I am so proud to be Welsh and that's why I decided to speak out about what happened to us. I want to challenge these narrow views."Jemma said the interaction made her feel "instantly like an outsider" and not welcome in pair said they were even more baffled as the message was from a verified Airbnb "superhost", which requires maintaining a 4.8 or higher overall rating and a 90% or higher response rate. Being a superhost also requires maintaining a less than 1% cancellation rate, with exceptions for cancellations due to "major disruptive events or other valid reasons", according to Airbnb. The host had a high rating and had been described as "friendly" and "lovely", said Jemma, who added previous reviews were from people across the world including guests from Wales. "I don't know what the entire country has done to her but we're so confused, we've had no answers." Reasons why a host can cancel For home hosts, valid cancellation reasons include but are not limited to:Circumstances beyond the host's control, such as major damage to a home listing, emergency repairs or unexpected issues with the service or experience venue that prevent hostingSerious personal illness that prevents hostingProof that a guest intends to break one of the house rules included in the home listing details, have an unauthorised party or otherwise violate the party and events policyA major disruptive event, such as declared public health emergencies or government travel restrictionsSource: Airbnb Jemma said questions were still left unanswered as the pair continued to chase Airbnb."I firmly believe discrimination takes form in many, many ways, and it all warrants attention and are all equally unacceptable," said Jemma. She added she did not want others to be affected by such behaviour. In a statement, Airbnb said: "As soon as this report was brought to our attention, we reached out to the guest to provide our support and suspended the host while we investigate this matter."
Daily Mirror
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Friends outraged after Airbnb host cancels booking because of where they're from
Airbnb said they suspended the host and are now investigating the matter after pals Jemma Louise Gough, 38, and Jamie Lee Watkins, 37, were denied a stay in Manchester Two pals who booked a trip to Manchester for a concert were left "gobsmacked" after being denied an Airbnb stay simply because they were "from Wales". Jemma Louise Gough, 38, and Jamie Lee Watkins, 37, had been planning to travel from Cwmbran, South Wales, to see Australian music DJ Sonny Fodera perform at Co-op Live in November. But when they tried to book the one-night stay at a private property in the city, their reservation was abruptly declined. The pair, who wrote on the listing that they were coming 'from Wales to see the gig', were left baffled and politely messaged the host to ask why. The response came back bluntly: "Because you're from WALES." Jemma, a school support officer and mum-of-two, said the message left her stunned. "My mouth hit the floor – nothing else other than 'because you're from Wales'. It was nothing about us going to the concert or whatever, it was just discrimination of the country. We're amazing people, the Welsh are lush. I don't know what me and my friend - or the whole of Wales - did that's so horrible. It's absolutely horrendous." It comes after another Brit abroad slammed an all-inclusive hotel food, asking 'what on earth is this?' Jamie asked the host for further explanation as to why they'd had their booking rejected, saying it was 'discrimination under the Equality Act 2010'. She said her message was read, but received no response. Registered nurse Jamie, who attempted to make the booking through her account, said: "I just thought, 'oh my gosh, how can you say no just because I'm from Wales?'. Se added: "It was really blunt, just one line: because you are from, in capitals, Wales. What difference does that make? I was just a bit shocked really that people still say things like that. If [they] had said 'I don't want people going to concerts and coming back if they'd had a drink or something, I'd be like yeah, okay, that's fine. That's an explanation." An Airbnb spokesperson said: "Discrimination, including on the basis of nationality, has no place on Airbnb. As soon as this report was brought to our attention, we reached out to the guest to provide our support and suspended the host while we investigate this matter."
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mates outraged as Airbnb host rejects Manchester booking because they're from Wales
Two music fans planning a visit to Manchester say they were left gobsmacked after an Airbnb host rejected their booking – because they're Welsh. Jemma Louise Gough, 38, and her best mate Jamie Lee Watkins, 37, will be travelling to the city from Cwmbran, South Wales, to see the Australian music producer Sonny Fodera at the Co-op Live Arena. The pair had been trying to book a double room for one night at a property in Manchester for the show in November. They wrote they were coming 'from Wales to see the gig'. Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here An hour after requesting the booking, they got an email saying it had been rejected. Asked why their booking had been cancelled, the host responded with the message: "Because you're from WALES." Mum-of-two Jemma, who works as a school support officer, said: "We had an email that our booking had been declined and we were getting a refund. "We wrote 'Hi, can I ask why it's been declined?', with a kiss, very politely. [They] wrote 'because you're from Wales', in capital letters. Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here "My mouth hit the floor – nothing else other than 'because you're from Wales'. It was nothing about us going to the concert or whatever, it was just discrimination of the country. "We're amazing people, the Welsh are lush. I don't know what me and my friend - or the whole of Wales - did that's so horrible. "It's absolutely horrendous." Jamie asked the host for further explanation as to why they'd had their booking rejected, saying it was 'discrimination under the Equality Act 2010'. She said her message was read, but received no response. Registered nurse Jamie, who attempted to make the booking through her account, said: "I just thought, 'oh my gosh, how can you say no just because I'm from Wales?'. "It was really blunt, just one line: because you are from, in capitals, Wales. What difference does that make? I was just a bit shocked really that people still say things like that. "If [they] had said 'I don't want people going to concerts and coming back if they'd had a drink or something, I'd be like yeah, okay, that's fine. That's an explanation." Jemma decided to make an Instagram and Facebook reel complaining about the discrimination she and her friend had received. An Airbnb spokesperson said: "Discrimination, including on the basis of nationality, has no place on Airbnb. As soon as this report was brought to our attention, we reached out to the guest to provide our support and suspended the host while we investigate this matter." The host declined to comment.
Telegraph
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Airbnb host cancelled guests ‘because they were Welsh'
Two friends have accused an Airbnb host of 'xenophobia' after they were rejected for a room booking because they were Welsh. Jemma Louise Gough, 38, and Jamie Lee Watkins, 37, had been trying to book an £83 double room for one night at the property in Manchester. They were travelling to the city from Cwmbran, South Wales, to see the Australian music producer Sonny Fodera at the city's Co-op Live Arena. In the reason for their visit, they wrote they were coming 'from Wales to see the gig'. Just over an hour after their booking request, they were emailed to say it had been rejected. When they asked why the booking had been cancelled, the host responded with the message: 'Because you're from WALES'. Ms Gough, who works as a school support officer, said: 'My mouth hit the floor – nothing else other than 'because you're from Wales'. It was nothing about us going to the concert or whatever. It was just discrimination of the country. 'We're amazing people, the Welsh are lush. I don't know what me and my friend, or the whole of Wales, did that's so horrible. It's xenophobia. It's absolutely horrendous.' Ms Watkins, a nurse, who attempted to make the booking through her account, said she would have understood if the host was concerned about 'people going to concerts and coming back if they'd had a drink or something. That's an explanation'. She added: 'It was really blunt, just one line: because you are from, in capitals, Wales. What difference does that make?' 'It's discrimination' Ms Watkins asked the host for further explanation for the rejection, saying that it was 'discrimination under the Equality Act 2010'. She said her message was read, but received no response, adding: 'I was just a bit shocked really that people still say things like that.' Ms Gough posted on Instagram and Facebook to complain about the experience. The video gained thousands of views and comments from social media users who shared it. Katie Jones, the 'superhost' who rejected Ms Gough and Ms Watkins, describes herself as 'friendly and easygoing' on the app. She has also spent eight years hosting and has an average 4.96-star rating. The en-suite double room, which has an average 4.97-star rating with 300 reviews, has since been suspended by Airbnb from its platform. An Airbnb spokesman said: 'Discrimination, including on the basis of nationality, has no place on Airbnb. As soon as this report was brought to our attention, we reached out to the guest to provide our support and suspended the host while we investigate this matter.'
