ATLANTA — Two Beyoncé fans say they were left scrambling for accommodations after a downtown Atlanta hotel abruptly canceled their reservations just days before the singer’s sold-out concert, and then re-listed the rooms online for nearly three times the original price.
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Jalisia Evans, a Charlotte-based concertgoer, posted her frustration on TikTok after learning her reservation at the Reverb by Hard Rock hotel was suddenly canceled.
“I woke up to this email saying my reservation is cancelled,” Evans said in her video.
Speaking over Zoom, Evans told Channel 2 Action News she originally booked her room on February 19 for under $300. However, when she called to find out why it was canceled, she said a hotel employee told her there were no rooms available. That didn’t line up with what she saw online.
“I went to Google to find the phone number and literally the dates popped up, the same exact dates, and the price was $750,” she said.
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Another Beyoncé fan, Aiyona, says the same thing happened to her.
“Very frustrating, very, very frustrating,” she said. “There’s absolutely no way that this happened.”
Both women say hotel staff told them their reservations were canceled because the hotel was overbooked and there was nothing they could do.
“I think it’s messed up, honestly and I think it’s very risky business,” Aiyona said.
Channel 2 Action News spoke with the general manager of Reverb by Hard Rock. He said canceling reservations at the last minute is not standard policy and added that he is actively looking into who authorized the cancellations.
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Consumer advisor Clark Howard says what happened to Evans and Aiyona is part of a troubling but not uncommon practice in the hotel industry known as “walking”—canceling or denying check-in to guests when a hotel is overbooked.
“It usually happens when you walk into the hotel and they say, ‘Joke’s on you—you don’t have a room,’” Howard said.
He says hotels are typically expected to provide alternative accommodations at their own expense, but during high-demand weekends, when Beyoncé is in town, some hotels may prioritize profit over policy.
“Most of the time, this doesn’t turn out to be a big problem,” Howard said. “But think how many events there are in Atlanta this weekend. Hotels are at an unusually high level of occupancy, and they’re able to push their rates up. This is the equivalent of a perfect storm.”
Both Evans and Aiyona say they were left without help or compensation and want other travelers to be aware of the risks.
After Channel 2 Action News aired Evans and Aiyona’s story, the hotel agreed to give them back their rooms at a lower rate.
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