A European hostel owner from a Liberal candidate’s past has resurfaced to drop a bombshell on his campaign – going public about how he banned him for life over an alleged money dispute.
Ben Reeson is running as the Liberal Party candidate for Gellibrand in Melbourne‘s inner west but his campaign has now been rocked by what are alleged to be the sins of his backpacking past.
Reeson appears on a ‘blacklist’ for the Lenin Street Hostel in Moldova, a small country in Eastern Europe that borders Romania and Ukraine after an allegedly dispute with the hostel over 5.66EUR ($AUD10.33).
‘Do not host this guy,’ his entry on the blacklist warns.
Hostel owner Dmitri Gavrilov told Daily Mail Australia over the phone he had experienced ‘troubles’ with Mr Reeson.
‘We had the trouble with this guy, yeah, absolutely, because none of the people who are on the blacklist of our hostel are there for nothing,’ he said.
In a subsequent email, the hostel owner explained that Mr Reeson had allegedly failed to inform Lenin Street Hostel that he booked alternative accommodation during his 2018 stay.
To compensate the hostel, Mr Gavrilov said Mr Reeson agreed to pay cash for his first night, totalling just 5.66EUR.
Ben Reeson (pictured), the Liberal Party candidate for Gellibrand in Victoria’s south west, appears on a ‘blacklist’ for the Lenin Street Hostel in Moldova, a small country in Eastern Europe that borders Romania and Ukraine
Mr Reeson, who previously worked for the Australian Taxation Office and runs his own travel and tour guide business, was on the hotel’s black list
‘Benjamin mentioned that he could give us the money in cash, but we would need to meet him at his new accommodation,’ Mr Gavrilov explained.
‘Unfortunately, going there turned out to be a mistake.
‘I texted Benjamin to let him know I had arrived, but he did not come out. I then went to the front gate of the hostel, which was open.
‘At that moment, I was (allegedly) physically attacked by three people from the hostel: the owner, and two other individuals, one of whom was a French, gray-haired man who threatened to ruin our business.
‘They attempted to assault me, but I managed to escape and drive away from the location.’
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Mr Reeson was involved in any way with the alleged assault or commissioning it.
Mr Gavrilov said that he blocked him on WhatsApp.
‘Needless to say, the 5.66 EUR was never handed over to us,’ the hostel owner added.
Hostel owner Dmitri Gavrilov told Daily Mail Australia he had experienced ‘troubles’ with Mr Reeson but was vague and evasive when pressed for answers (pictured: guests at the Lenin Street Hostel)
He added: ‘As a result of this incident, Benjamin is no longer welcome at any of our locations here in Tiraspol, and he will never be accepted on any of our tours.’
But Mr Reeson, a former taxman and aspiring politician, gave his own version of events about what led to his inclusion on the colourful hostel’s banned list.
‘In 2018, I travelled to Moldova. I had booked a night’s stay at this hostel in Tiraspol, but unfortunately I was stuck in Chisinau due to feeling unwell,’ Mr Reeson told this publication.
‘I cancelled my booking in the normal way, through the booking platform, HostelWorld, knowing I would incur a cancellation fee.
‘The Tiraspol hostel then contacted me demanding I pay them cash, stating that they didn’t have a financial connection to HostelWorld.
‘This struck me as bizarre considering HostelWorld took a deposit for the stay and their website stated they would handle cancellations in accordance with their cancellation policy.
‘I then received a barrage of aggressive and threatening messages from the hostel, after complying with all policies.
Hostel owner Mr Gavrilov (pictured with guest, centre) added: ‘As a result of this incident, Benjamin is no longer welcome at any of our locations here in Tiraspol, and he will never be accepted on any of our tours.’
Mr Reeson said, despite the incident, he had a ‘good experience in Moldova’ (Pictured: a view of the Saharna Monastery and Dniester River in the Eastern European country)
‘Despite this incident, I had a good experience in Moldova.’
Hostel owner Mr Gavrilov insisted the ‘majority of guests are great’.
‘But as in every business and every hospitality business, you have this one per cent or less than one per cent of the customers who are either troublemakers or they do not understand where they staying, what they are doing and many millions of other reasons,’ he added.
Other entrees on the blacklist include alleged ‘aggressive alcoholics’, ‘impolite guests’ and individuals who were allegedly responsible for ‘severe damage to hostel property’.
Mr Reeson previously stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal candidate for Niddrie in Melbourne’s western suburbs in the 2018 Victorian state elections.
He worked for the Australian Taxation Office for six-and-a-half years, from 2016 to 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He has subsequently set up a travel and tour guide business called ‘A Reeson to Travel’.
A Liberal party bio claims Mr Reeson enjoys cycling, bouldering and gardening.
‘As a renter, Ben cares deeply about the rising cost of living. He wants housing to be cheaper, safer, and more stable,’ the profile adds.
Gellibrand is a safe Labor seat, held by Tim Watts with a margin of 13 per cent.