Two best friends have been left flabbergasted after an Airbnb host rejected their 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.
The pair 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’ – but just over an hour after requesting the booking, they got an email saying it had been rejected.
When asked why their booking had been cancelled, the host – Katie Jones, a University of Cambridge music graduate – responded with the message: ‘Because you’re from WALES.’
The shocked pals have now accused the owner of ‘xenophobia and horrendous discrimination’. Ms Jones has declined to comment about the incident.
Mother-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. She wrote “because you’re from Wales”, in capital letters. My mouth hit the floor – nothing else other than “because you’re from Wales”.
Jamie Lee Watkins (left), 37,and Jemma Louise Gough, 38 (right), had been trying to book an £83 double room for one night at the property in Manchester
When asked why their booking had been cancelled, the host – Katie Jones, a University of Cambridge music graduate (pictured)- responded, saying: ‘Because you’re from WALES.’
Ms Jones has since been accused of ‘xenophobia’ for the message (which is pictured)
‘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. I’m white, so I don’t think it’s racism, but to a certain degree it’s racism to the country, isn’t it?
‘It’s definitely discrimination, it’s horrendous.’
Jamie asked the host for further explanation as to why they’d had their booking rejected – saying that 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… I was just a bit shocked really that people still say things like that.
Friends Ms Watkins (left) and Ms Gough were left flabbergasted by the reason for the cancellation
‘If she 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, OK, that’s fine”.
‘That’s an explanation. But she gave no explanation apart form “because you are from Wales”.’
Afterwards, Jemma decided to make an Instagram and Facebook reel complaining about the discrimination she and her friend had received.
The video has already gained thousands of views with commenters sharing her anger online.
Richard McQuillan wrote on Facebook: ‘That is race discrimination, you should report it to Airbnb.’
While commenter Natalie Baldwin wrote: ‘WTF that’s shocking, us Welsh are the best.’
On Airbnb, the ‘superhost’ who rejected the pair, Katie Jones, describes herself as ‘friendly and easygoing’ foodie, and says she is a ‘part-time piano teacher’ who plays the French horn.
According to the platform, she was born in the 1980s and has spent eight years hosting, receiving 340 reviews in the process with an average 4.96 star rating.
Pictured is the booking cancellation received by Ms Gough and Ms Watkins with the offending message followed by texts to each other in which they expressed their shock
Ms Jones plays with the Alderley Edge Symphony Orchestra.
According to her biography on the orchestra’s website, she read music at Cambridge and has played at the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace.
Ms Jones declined to comment when contacted today.
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 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.’
