Hotels and Airbnbs are places to rest and recuperate, and sometimes they’re pretty nice. but sometimes, they aren’t what you are hoping for. What follows is a big collection of stories that fall into the second category from visitors and workers alike.
We Don't Want to Know What You Were Making
Some people just have no sense of decorum. Filling a public hot tub with condiments is just poor form. What if someone wants to be able to relax in a hot tub and not have it full of ketchup? On the other hand, filling it with ketchup would probably make it cleaner. Save it for a private room, people.
We would like to know what a burger convention is, though. That sounds like a blast. Are there burger-eating competitions? Guess the barbecue sauce? Whatever it is, we want to go. Is there cosplay? We kind of hope there isn't cosplay.
CEOs Don't Have to Eat Them All
Well, as long as she's paying for them, she can do whatever she wants with them. Well, not anything she wants. It's still illegal to feed cookies to ducks in certain states. What we're picturing with this story is each cookie has a big bite taken out of it and then placed back on the tray, in the exact same spot where she picked it up. But we don't know what exactly happened.
Maybe she chewed it up entirely and then put it back. That would be disgusting. But if you're the CEO of a big TV Corp you can do what you want, apparently.
Lots of Perks to the Job
It's a pretty big helicopter. Do you know how many people it takes to run an average cruise ship? The number can stretch all the way up to NINE THOUSAND PEOPLE. Those might be the biggest cruise ships, but vessels of that size require mechanical work, servers, cleaners, and so much more.
They, obviously, have places of their own to sleep when they're at sea, no matter how many people can't seem to think of that as an option. Being able to tell guests that you fly to and from the ship every night should take the edge off of being asked.
Working Out Comforts a Lot of People
If you work in the hospitality industry, you're going to see a lot of strange people come through your doors. Some of them might even like Justin Bieber. We know, weird. Still, we bet the number of times someone has come to the front desk and requested the gym off the street in the middle of the night has got to be counted on one hand.
And this lady didn't even want to pump – she just wanted to nap without having to make up with her husband. The hotel was nice enough to let her sleep on one of the real beds.
Incorrect Trash Disposal
We've all had a late-night hankering for a bucket of fried chicken once or twice in our lives. Sometimes it might even occur while staying the night in a hotel. But the most important part of any task – even a greasy, carby one like this – is to put everything back where it belongs once you're done. These people must have forgotten that.
Disposing of the bones in such a lackluster manner is simply gauche. Was it too much to ask to put them in the bucket? Apparently, since they then slipped them under their pillows. Is that comfortable? It doesn't sound like it.
Hotels are Rife With Magic Spells
We know what you're thinking, but this couldn't have been an attempt at a hex – they didn't even use any newts. No, the best bet is that it was just a bunch of kids trying to have a laugh, even if they don't get to see the fallout. We don't know what the Latin phrase is, or what kind of bone it was, but it could have been a lorem ipsum and a half-eaten chicken bone for all we know.
We doubt that anything happened, or we would have heard of it. But no doubt this story inspired a bunch of really (really) low-budget video games and movies.
Vehicular Damage
Backing into a hotel and smashing through a bathroom is one thing, but then having the stones to return to the scene of the crime and state you couldn't have possibly done it? That takes some gumption. Moxie. Chutzpah. Which all basically mean the same thing. Also, this lady was totally caught on camera and had no way to ignore the evidence.
She might have tried to pretend that it was just a scratch, or that it was someone else who looked just like her and had the exact same car, but there was no ignoring punching through an entire bathroom.
They're Basically Like Child Care
Despite the fact that this is actually relatively safe for the child as long as he's older than six, this was still a pretty poor thing for the mom to do. Of course, it would have been quite nice to let the hotel staff know about the arrangement beforehand, but you live and learn.
The fact there were lots of other unsupervised kids and adults around who had a little too much to drink, to make even more madness is just a big, stupid cherry on top of this story. If you aren't in a place where hockey is very prevalent, know that “drunk and stupid” is a pretty good way to describe the entire culture.
The Perfect Crime
Stealing from a hotel is done so often that it's pretty much expected. How many times have you stolen something like soaps or shampoo, or bigger things like towels, pillows, and more? Probably a few times, at least. But have you ever stolen some of the furniture? Still yes, probably.
We know how you act. Still, taking off with a nightstand is a little more than most people can manage, especially since the thieves did it without anyone noticing until housekeeping went in to tidy things up. Maybe they snuck it out inside a piece of luggage that they had brought in empty?
They Do Look Like a Lot of Fun
We've all seen them and had the same thought. Look at those big carts that look like they're so much fun to ride on! But, you shouldn't. Really, those carts serve an important role in the service of the hotel. Tired guests need to use them to get their luggage to their rooms before they can relax the way they want to.
Some of them might have traveled thousands of miles for hours and hours. If you, in a drunken stupor, end up breaking one, that's more work they have to do during what is hopefully their vacation. So yeah, don't ride on the carts.
That Person Doesn't Get to Come Back
We're thankful to report that most people these days know to treat service professionals like they're real, actual people. Most people. Some people still think it's cool to leave a hotel room full of beer bottles, spilled drinks, and broken glass. Getting that many cans and bottles into a hotel room is almost a feat in and of itself.
Is there any other reason why this person would have left so many drinks lying around? Did this person finally see the destruction he or she had caused and decide to clean up? Get off the drink and start making the most of life?
Like One of Those Really Short Stories
It would be really handy to know what hotel this was so that we can purposefully not stay there. Odds are, this group of people had been pregaming a little too hard in their private rooms before heading out to a party as a crew. Maybe they saw a single person standing inside an elevator that might just have been coated in mirrors on all the walls and the ceiling, and they just saw way more people than there actually were.
Or, maybe, they were all attuned to the spiritual realm, and they saw an elevator that was teeming with the souls of the undead.
Maybe That's Why We Can Never Rent the Room
How long had it been there? What was it painted with? Why was it there? Well, we can actually answer one of the questions. We all know that blood is red, but you might not know that blood loses its eye-catching color once it dries. Dried blood is a dark maroon color, or even completely black.
Obviously, you still don't want to find it, but it should at least be a comfort that no matter what it was, it wasn't a bodily fluid. Lots of these spooky hotel stories can pretty much boil down to some people wanting a laugh.
He Didn't Exactly Inspire Confidence
We bet if a guy wearing bags for shoes and a hospital gown came to your place of business and asked for a computer to spread the word of his return, you wouldn't be too keen about it, either. Thankfully, the closest thing the hotel had to an on-duty police officer was there to make sure nothing too bad happened.
It might be the fact that we're big fans of Halloween that we immediately jumped to an escaped mental patient, but there's no telling what this guy was really up to. Or maybe he was really trying to spread the word of his return. From the 'not so focused' hospital.
Are You Sure? Are You Sure You Want to Know What Happened?
Renting out your place to be an Airbnb is always at least a little risky. You're allowing someone you've probably never met to just come into your home. That's where all your stuff is! They could take that stuff! Or, as in this story, prop up a bunch of deer carcasses under the house to look like there was something unholy going on.
Did they really need to get THAT MANY deer involved? Couldn't they have achieved their goals with just a pair, or maybe three? Six deer carcasses are a lot of weight. Think of all that venison.
Leaving a Unique Scent
If you aren't familiar, bear mace is like pepper spray on steroids. Bears are well known for their ability to shrug off all kinds of ferocious attacks, so chemists came up with something that can stop them in their tracks. If you're hiking in the woods, it might do you well to carry a can of this stuff along. But, if all you're doing is spending the night in an Airbnb, you don't really need any of it.
If the place you're staying isn't performing up to the standard that you expect, just leave a review! You don't need to cover it in incredibly harsh chemicals that just result in a lot of work for the person who owns the place.
Well, Hello Sailor
If you or someone you know suffers from sleepwalking, you know that it can be an incredibly dangerous disorder. It can result in bodily harm, and even if the person wakes up it can be quite disorienting, no matter where they are. In this story, this sleep-walking guest might have been cruising for a bruising had things not been explained.
What's worse, apparently the guy had no memory of the event the next day. Though now that we think about it, that could have just been him trying to cover his tracks. We hope he had something that proved he suffered from sleepwalking.
Well, What Were You Expecting? It Was a Bug!
The big question here is what kind of a bug was it? Was it a fly, a mosquito, a little teeny spider? Then, no, this kind of destruction wasn't warranted. However, if it was a West African flying scorpion, then maybe this kind of response was proper.
Of course, we just made up the West African flying scorpion, so we honestly doubt that's what it was. Next time you see a bug at three A.M. in an Airbnb, just grab a rolled-up newspaper or something like that. You don't have to wake the neighbors.
Hoping for a Special Performance
There are actually quite a number of stories of guests finding cameras inside their rented spaces – far too many if we're being honest. This story is the opposite, where the manager finds a camera that one of the previous guests had planted. It was almost the perfect crime – they, as creeps, get to see the goods, but if anyone happens upon the camera, the blame immediately goes to the people who own the property.
They pretty much got away with it scot-free, since it would have been impossible to bring all the previous guests back, and taking the evidence to the authorities would have put the owners in the spotlight far more.
The Actual Cable Itself
They didn't steal the TV itself. No, they stole the cable that goes from the TV to the cable plug in the wall. They might as well have stolen the TV since it won't work at all anyway. Are those kinds of cables expensive or hard to come by? A cursory Google search tells us that they aren't really. Not even if you buy from Best Buy.
Maybe that's just their thing. Maybe whenever they go to an Airbnb they snag something that they hope no one will notice. Maybe their home is full of ill-gotten gains such as TV cables. They didn't choose wisely this time, since it was noticed right away.
Telling It Like It Is
This is a fun story. It provides us with the mental image of a grown man waking up in a puddle of his own mess. It's pretty funny as long as you aren't the one doing the waking up. Beyond that, it also gives us a great sit-down moment from the owner of the property.
Mattresses cost a lot of money – a lot of money. If you're a man who makes water on one of these mattresses, you should expect to shell out above and beyond the piddling (heh) little security deposit that you have. We can only hope that this event got this bed-wetter to shape up.
No Longer Best Friends
Stealing from Airbnbs is a little too common, we're starting to understand. Whether it's little things or big things, lots of guests love to make off with your stuff, even if it's there solely for the guests' use. This late-add guest was apparently upset with the sleeping arrangements and took it out on the owners of the Airbnb.
Of course, eventually, the chickens came home to roost, and by that, we mean the person who booked the house was charged. Do you know how much pillows cost? Too much. Way too much. We hope this “BFF” was busted down the friend ladder a few spots, at least until she coughed up the cash.
You Have a Private Bathroom!
Lady, you have your own private bathroom! What could be more comfortable than that? Maybe this lady had been reading about all those stories of owners putting cameras in the bathrooms. We guess we can't really blame her. But, lady, maybe you need to take a look at your diet if this is the kind of thing that happens.
A little bit of fiber will keep things moving at a regular pace so it doesn't all come out at once. Also, if you think this kind of thing might be brewing, at least make sure you have a plunger or something with you.
It's Like He Wanted His Bumper Destroyed
Most of us are pretty particular about our cars. We drive them all over kingdom come, so we want them to be in perfect condition. We get regular work done, we keep them clean, we park them in the perfect places, etcetera. Someone who stayed at this Airbnb decided to park nice and close to the garage door so that nobody hit his car from behind – unaware how much damage a simple moving garage door can do.
If we're reading this story correctly, it sounds like both the bumper and the garage door were wrecked, but Airbnb at least comped the owner for the garage door – those are pricey.
This Isn't a Hotel
Even though they seem pretty similar, Airbnbs are not hotels. They're private owners (for the most part) who have opened part of their homes to let you crash for a night. They don't have a pool, they don't have room service, and they don't provide everything you could possibly need. For most people, this will be fine.
However, there are some people that don't have as many brain cells rattling around between their ears, so they don't think of everything. Even if, for instance, it's clearly stated that the Airbnb lodging won't be providing some things. We bet this family has these kinds of issues pretty frequently.
We Like It Too, But...
Some people need to be reminded that an Airbnb is not a hotel. There aren't people whose job it is to clean up after you check out, no matter how many chip crumbs and COOKED BACON you leave lying around. Were these full, untouched strips, or small pieces that had been missed by a devouring maw? You know what, we don't care.
Next time you want to leave bacon for the people you rented your Airbnb from, leave it on a covered plate and not under the couch, for instance. We can't believe we have to say that, but here we are.
We Aren't Responsible for Tickets
Just because you've rented from an Airbnb, that doesn't mean you have diplomatic immunity. This guy found out that, yes, he can still get ticketed even if he's just visiting. The owner of the Airbnb place very rightly put this guy in his place, pointing out that it was all very clearly inside the “house manual” that is becoming more and more commonplace (and for this very reason) when it comes to Airbnbs.
The car's owner still wasn't pleased, so the owner of the rental property did exactly what we all wanted him to do – kicked that guy out and canceled the other dates he had rented.
Decorative. DECORATIVE!
Fireplace technology has grown by leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. You can just hit a button on the wall and a fireplace roars to life, providing cheery light and relaxing warmth for the entire room. Of course, if you don't know that something is electronic or decorative, you could make a huge mess.
If a fireplace doesn't actually have the correct kind of ventilation, it would not only be a huge mess but an incredibly deadly one at that. Smoke could fill the entire room, or house, or whatever, and that's just the beginning. We know nothing further than “Didn't end well,” and we can imagine that's very much the case.
From the Early Days
We bet there are just as many stories of things being stolen from Airbnbs as there are messes being left. Early during the industry's life, people didn't really know how to do things in the safest way – you just hired out the extra room or guest house you have. Your home and possessions were at the mercy of people who might not have had your best interest in mind.
These days, people tend not to let the renters into their main living area, and they furnish the rented areas with the understanding that strange, unknown people will be there for extended periods of time. Theft still happens, but not as much.
At Least They Have One Now
There are lots of Airbnbs that expect you to at least try and keep your rented place tidy, whether it's through good old-fashioned guilt or the threat of getting charged extra for cleaning services. These guests apparently didn't get the memo. The rented space even included a vacuum cleaner for them to at least try and put in the effort, but they still didn't.
Even worse, they then made off with the vacuum cleaner, as long as we're reading this story correctly. It's like the tidiness version of adding insult to injury. We're going to make it super dirty here and we won't even let you clean.
It's Just One of Those Cultural Differences
That's not exactly the kind of thing you want to find when you come home after a long trip, but here we are. As the story relates, it's very likely that the couple just wasn't aware this was an option, and instead put their used toilet paper in the trash can.
And, as the story goes on to say, the entire trash can just got chucked to try and salvage some semblance of cleanliness. We don't know what they could have done to avoid this, but it might be worth knowing in the future.
Very Particular Tastes
Airbnbs aren't hotels, so the rules aren't exactly the same. You can, sort of, make it your own as long as you're following the rules the renter laid down. For the most part, this person seems to have done so (other than the breaking the coffee table thing), since there's no rule about not putting the suede dining chairs inside the shower.
There's no indication that the renter ever figured out why the guest did such extensive reorganizing, and honestly, we're having trouble even taking a wild guess. Maybe this person just thinks books belong in the mudroom.
A Certain Lack of Communication
We guess when it comes to hotel and Airbnb horror stories, “it was weird” is about the best end you're going to get. In this example, a guy rented and just never showed up – never even communicated with the renter to offer an explanation. It would have taken a single message with almost any excuse for the guy to get his money back, but no, there was nothing.
The renter did all that work getting the home together for a stranger, so he or she is at least allowed to keep the money since there's been no more communication.
No, Now Go Away
Did this guest just watch a scary movie or something? This is the kind of thing that isn't encouraged once a child hits double-digit ages, so having a random stranger ask the same thing at 5:30 is going to be a definite negatory. We have to imagine this is the kind of event that has a person sit down and re-evaluate if he or she wants to let strangers into the home night after night.
Or at least get a lock for the bedroom door. Another option is to have a knife next to the bed. There, no more questions.
Left in the Lurch
The thing about Airbnbs is they aren't always done with the most professional of setups. In this case, a simple wrong address forced a tired traveler to run all over town, payout through the nose for somewhere to bed down, and definitely didn't get a very good night's rest.
He or she wasn't even given the money back that had been given for that first night. This article isn't trying to get you to never use Airbnb, but that's what it might end up achieving. Though it looks like hotels aren't always that much better.
Those That Demand
Maybe there's a little bit of an age gap that's going on here. Maybe those that are of advanced maturity don't really get what an Airbnb is – they think it's a special kind of hotel, and not what some people do to rent out their places for extra cash.
Taking chair covers in during the middle of the night? We don't even think that actual hotels do that. And why would they expect to be driven around the entire time they're there? We get that there can be some confusion, but this just seems strange. And black towels? What's the point of that?
Careful With the Floors
If you're someone who rents out an area to Airbnb, you have to be careful. If you're the kind of person who stays in Airbnbs, you have to be careful. Hotels might not be perfect, but they aren't going to come around and make sure there's a certain number of people in the room.
And sure, if you have house guests you can ask them to be careful with their shoes, but asking it of people who have rented your space is a bit strange. If you're so picky about your fancy hardwood floors, just ask people not to wear shoes while they're inside.
Maybe It Was Just a Really Big Dog
Airbnbs often charge cleaning fees to make sure the place is well-kept and guests behave themselves. Sometimes, however, that money isn't used properly, which is how stories like this one come about. The bed was covered in dog hair. Some people might call this a bonus, but not the person telling the story this time.
The big problem with dog hair is if the dog is around long enough, it just starts to infuse into everything. Consider the Golden Retriever – it's ninety percent fur. If it's there for a couple of years, you aren't going to even have carpet anymore – just a layer of fur.
Two for One
And here we keep saying that Airbnbs are nothing like hotels. It turns out this one had something that a lot of hotels also have – doors that lead to other rooms. The person who had to experience this at least wished that the information had been included in the rental property's information.
Thankfully, it ended up being nothing but an awkward situation that she could end up telling friends. That's far from the worst thing that could have happened – we'll let you fill in the details – but it also could have been a legendary meet-cute. “We stayed at the same Airbnb at the same time.”
This Is Where the Big Dogs Play
This person has spent plenty of time in one Airbnb or another, and things have gone pretty all right for the most part. However, there was that one time. Big dogs are often a lot of fun, but not if you're just trying to get some shuteye and relax before you head to your next travel destination.
A big dog running around, spreading food, and generally making a mess is never going to be that relaxing, even if the dog is yours and you want it there. If you're just renting the place, of course, you don't want it there. They're a lot of work.
Cleaned Out
Theft happens a lot, no matter where or who you are. People who rent out their properties with Airbnb have to be extra careful, or they might find their places emptied out by scammers, such as in this story. And it's clear that the people who went through with this heist had no intention of actually staying until they saw all the nice stuff – the fake profile is a dead giveaway.
Unfortunately, there are just as many horror stories about customer service from Airbnb not holding up their end of the bargain as there are stories about theft. It doesn't matter how much you're dealing with Airbnbs, make sure you're careful.
Well, It Is Good for You
A bed and breakfast is kind of the gray area midpoint between a hotel and an Airbnb, so we're going to say it belongs on this list. The person managing this bed and breakfast found someone's likely years-long project about the wonderful things that salad is. We agree that salad is a good thing – sometimes it's tasty, sometimes it's healthy – but this seems to be a bit more, overall.
It seems to have taken years to get all that writing down. Almost a hundred pages if the story is to be believed. We wonder if the guest called around to figure out where he or she had left it.
Not a Big Enough Tip
This story comes to us from a hotel. Somehow, in some way, a guest brought a bunch of cats along to visit the hotel, left them all there, dropped a hundred with the note, and then never showed up again. If you have a lot of cats and want to get rid of them, there are a couple of options.
This isn't exactly one of them. But what else are you supposed to do? We don't even know how many total cats there were here. We just know there were a lot of them. Still, if this is the tactic you're going to go with, drop more than a hundred dollars.
At Least It Was Only the TV
We understand that this kind of reveal can be pretty heartbreaking, but we don't see why he would take all his anger out on that poor TV. Well, we do see why – it wasn't his TV after all. It was just the TV he had to pay to replace anyway when he hurled it out the window.
We don't know about you, but when we hear that someone has thrown a TV through a hotel window, we always picture a room on an upper floor, a hundred feet off the ground, during the night, and the TV goes straight into the hotel's pool.
The Grossest
Really, this story tells us all we need to know about the guy who had to stay away from his home for thirty days while it was rendered livable again. From the details we get in the story, it sounds like the picture and name of this guy should be spread around to all the other hotels in the area so he doesn't keep spreading his filth.
The level of destruction is just amazing – spoiled food, okay. He was there for a while. Greasy floors, yeah, we guess, since he never let housekeeping in. But entirely wrecked furniture? Ruined linens? He's a master of the craft.
It's the Only Way I Feel at Home
We all have to do what we can to make ourselves comfortable when we're staying in a strange place, be it a new room in the same house or a hotel. Apparently, for some people, that means spreading mayonnaise on everything. But, just in the bathroom. Look, we like the stuff too, but this is probably taking it a little too far.
Maybe the people who stayed in the room don't like to look at themselves, and would rather feel the silky, smooth, eggy feeling of mayo underfoot. Thus, they decided to kill two birds with one stone. And now we're disgusted.
Four Score and Seven Bleats Ago
We want to know. We NEED to know. For heaven's sake, it was a goat dressed as famous president Abraham Lincoln. All we know is that the goat had been what was almost certainly the main attraction of a “stag do,” which is usually interpreted as a bachelor party or something similar.
If the goat wasn't the main attraction, what on Earth could have been? Maybe that's what we need to know. If they left the goat behind, what did they take with them? Also, how did they find an Abraham Lincoln costume that fit a goat?
It's Like a David Lynch Film
We would ask what band this was, but there are so many out there these days that it barely even matters. Unless it was, like, The Beatles doing a reunion tour. Nailing all of the furniture to the ceiling is one very, very big thing, but doing so without apparently making any noise at all is yet another.
We can only imagine (gleefully) the confusion that the staff of the hotel experienced when they first walked in. How do you get that sort of stuff down? A lot of ladders and some very careful craftsmen, we guess.
We Are Not Prepared for This
Yeah, we know that hotels have a lot of amenities for people who stay there. Bigger hotels have quite a collection of handy services that guests can take advantage of, but child care is, we're pretty sure, hardly offered. That didn't matter to this guest, who wouldn't take no for an answer when he or she left the child at the front desk. Hopefully, with some supplies and a chair or something.
Hotel staff can do a lot of things and are prepared for a lot, but caring for a child isn't really one of them. Hopefully, there was someone there who had experience as a parent.
They Really, Really Needed Some Towels
Sometimes you just don't have enough of what you need for your hotel room. Towels, plastic cups, even things like shampoos and body wash. Sometimes you have to ask the staff for a little something more, which they are usually all too happy to help you out with.
Unless you're this guest, and you need towels at eleven P.M., and you decide the best way to do it is to break into the manager's apartment. The manager probably does have towels, but he or she might not want to give them over to someone who has just broken into the room.
Just Wanted to See What Happened
We're sure that all the big hotels around the world have seen dozens or hundreds or even thousands of wild stories that have to do with destruction, but this one is a bit special. This guy really just wanted to try to kick through a mirror, and at least he was successful.
It wouldn't have been as special if he had tried and just ended up hurting himself. Might have been a little funnier, though. Still, this guy was able to stick in the staff's mind after causing two grand of damage thanks to his antics. He just didn't want his better half to know.
How to Get Someone's Attention
There's no indication the person telling this story was a staff member, a fellow hotel guest, or what, but he or she probably didn't appreciate being hit in the eye by a keycard. Or...what if it was actually a key? Most hotels these days have gone to electronic keys since they can be reprogrammed and are less expensive if they get lost, but some might still have actual metal keys.
Now we're thinking about getting a key in the eye. Thanks for that, story. Really cool. All that just to start a conversation that probably wasn't all that important.
The Mystery of Smell
Did you know that scent is one of the most closely-tied senses to memory? It's why you can remember the smell of your dad's old cologne, or the cookies your mom used to make, or something like that, years or even decades later. So imagine being able to recall the smell of this woman after so long.
Hotel staff has a lot of stinky work to do, so being able to recall this singular woman – who stank for no particular reason as far as the storyteller can tell – so long after. We bet that not all of you have had to throw out a mattress because it smelled so bad.
Better Than Some Animals We Guess
Most of these stories end up being pretty disgusting, destructive, or depressing, but at least this one has a happy ending. Ferrets are sneaky little creatures, and they love getting into trouble, as the staff of this hotel discovered. Thankfully they were also able to stay put once the staff decided to put them in the mail sack.
Why the ferrets were so willing to do so is beyond us – it's not like we're ferret experts. And, remember, there are lots of other animals that could have escaped. Try to imagine fitting a couple of giraffes into a mail sack, and you'd probably prefer a pair of cute little ferrets, too.
Pro Bono Carpentry
The life of a red-eye pilot must be a strange one. It certainly isn't a normal nine-to-five job, and it's not like they can enjoy the nightlife while they're seven miles above the ground. So, when this hotel guest found out there was carpentry to be done, he stepped up and filled up his free hours with some calming hands-on work.
He wouldn't accept any payment, he worked for days on end, and that was that. A full kitchen was put together just because the guy was bored. It's a little hard to tell if the kitchen is for the hotel, or for the people who live there (wouldn't that just make it an apartment?) but one way or another it's quite the gift of time.
The Tattoo Airbnb
This traveler was visiting Spain with her husband and young daughters, and they all got a lesson in this romantic language thanks to the tattoo parlor next door. Thankfully, the guests ended up loving the experience and added plenty of fancy swears to the repertoire.
We'd love to know about the landlady that owns an Airbnb that is right next to a tattoo parlor, but maybe that sort of thing is par for the course in Spain. If only she had offered a free tattoo with the stay, it would have been perfect.
Probably a Good Thing They Were Told
Yeah, we're gonna have to agree on this one – gas leaks are no joke. It was no doubt a rude awakening to have twenty firemen standing at your door in the middle of the night, but it was certainly better than the alternative. There are a couple of them, and none of them are fun.
This couple had to step out and find a new place to sleep, eventually ending up at a hotel, but at least they didn't explode or anything like that. That would probably result in quite a low rating for this Airbnb renter.
The Invisible Threat
This spooky Airbnb story comes from a woman who got into the rented area and immediately started to feel drowsy, as did the travel partner. It turned out this was the result of too much carbon monoxide (is there any amount of safe carbon monoxide? We're not sure. Gonna go with no) in the air – one of the common symptoms is being drowsy, even more than travel makes you.
Amazingly, no one was hurt, but Airbnb apparently hasn't done anything even after the couple's messages, despite how dangerous such a situation can be.
Let's Just Find Another Place
It's important to be as welcoming to guests as possible if you're in the hospitality industry, and that includes Airbnb. A pair of ladies found a place to stay, but the details of the place turned them off in a big way. Even more, the owner of the space greeted them confused, tired, and half-clothed, though we have no idea what that is supposed to mean.
These ladies decided saving a bit of money wasn't worth their personal safety, so they scampered off and went to a place that, at the very least, had a way to lock their doors.
The Nightmare House
When you arrive at an Airbnb at the start of your holiday trip, you're looking forward to good things. However, if you're like this couple, you might have to deal with some big issues. They apparently fell asleep as soon as they arrived and didn't check the condition of the rooms, which weren't exactly up to standards.
Disgusting surfaces, exposed nails, and stains were just the tip of the iceberg. The couple found bug bites when they woke up, and one of the visitors fractured her foot. Airbnb was horrified by the photos they sent, but the vacation was still one of the worst the couple had experienced.
Be on the Lookout for Scams
During high-profile events such as the Olympics or Super Bowls, fake Airbnb listings will pop up all over the place. There are plenty of stories of people showing up after traveling only to find out someone had made off with their money, while the actual owner of the property refused to let them in. Keep your eyes peeled for this common tactic.
The story here is what happened to one user in Berlin when the real owner of the rental property wanted to know why this person was suddenly in the house. It could have ended up poorly – and the guest probably had to find a new place to stay – but at least it was just a simple misunderstanding.
Smile for the Camera
In this story, a pair of young women show up at their rented property in Osaka, Japan, and find that the host had an unusual request. He wanted to take their picture. When they reluctantly agreed, he pulled out a huge album. Thankfully, the pictures were chaste, and odds are he just wanted to be able to look back at all the people he had put up.
The fact that they were all women is a bit suspect, but, you know what? Innocent until proven guilty. Also, the story then goes on to say that the host was exceptionally polite and helpful, even driving the guests to the train station.
You Take the Good With the Bad
This story could have ended up much differently depending on who they stayed with, but the mother of the host family was dedicated to making sure her guests felt right at home. That included doing a little bit of laundry work, the dear. Yeah, having someone touch all your laundry is a bit odd, but this time it was for the better.
If you've ever wondered why Japanese media has so much laundry drying on balcony racks, the reason is space – dryers take up a lot of room and make a lot of noise, so small apartments don't usually have them. Even bigger houses tend not to have them.
Not Exactly Romantic
Being given property has got to be a big boon – you can sell it off and pocket the money, or do what this guy did and make it into a rental spot. If this does happen to you, at least clean it out first. Like...remove the things that your dearly departed relative has left behind. And maybe fix the doors so that they'll all close. And make sure the lock works.
You know what, maybe this guy shouldn't rent out the property at all. And maybe the property should just be demolished. It's what Grandma would want.
Driving Under the Influence of Adele
This couple, all things considered, had a lovely time in Spain. Their host, Antonio, was a true gentleman, but then a friend of Antonio's offered to drive the couple to the airport. Maybe the driver, Kiko, had just been broken up with, or maybe he was just in a bad mental spot, but he blasted tearjerkers at max volume the whole way there, even crying as he drove.
Surely that isn't safe. We all have to hit play on those sad songs every once in a while, but this much emotional response tells us it's time to hit pause.
Cutting Their Losses
There's plenty more to this story than just a leaky ceiling and water damage. Someone other than the host took them to their room, the host's father was there to greet them, and – most damning – he charged a key fee of twenty dollars, stating that they would get it back when they left.
This family, which had been traveling due to an emergency, decided enough was enough and they would find somewhere else to bed down. They're described as a family, and that makes us think of children, and we doubt they wanted to risk anything if there were kids involved.
Time to Learn How to Clean
Cleanliness is close to godliness, they say. We don't know exactly why they say that, but they sure say it. Moms, mostly. Of course, we all know that a clean place is more relaxing, easier to move around in, and much better to rent out to others.
Instead of doing the requisite cleaning, this renter left things a massive mess and disappeared for a while. As the guest said, a little bit of sprucing up goes a long way, but anything other than super clean is going to make your star count drop. At least throw away the empty bottles.
Renting Under the Table
Now, that's a pretty stubby story. The details of this are an LA couple landed in New York and headed to their Airbnb, only to discover that a New York bill had gone into effect that day, making short-term rentals (read: Airbnb) illegal unless they were renting for at least thirty days. It was actually another resident who delivered the speech above, threatening to make the couple's life difficult. Boy, that neighbor must be a treat. No wonder the owner doesn't want to live there.
Thankfully, Airbnb was able to compensate the couple, including extra to find new accommodations. At least they said they would – apparently the guests still haven't gotten anything.
Party Time
Hosts have lives too, obviously, and some of them even like to throw parties. This doesn't seem to have been a New Years' party or something like that, but just a random night of good times. Usually, this is fine – and even encouraged – but wanting to get some sleep while there's a part in the house doesn't seem optimal.
Having more than a dozen people in one house is pretty wild – you might think it can be done easily, but have you ever seen that many people in one house? It's packed. While Airbnb couldn't refund the booking, they did offer the guest a $150 goodwill voucher thanks to the issues.
Nights in the Zen Buddhist Temple
There are lots of strange places for people to rent thanks to Airbnb, but one of the strangest must be a Zen Buddhist temple. While it wasn't actually a monk that put the guest up, it was someone who worked at the temple, and it came with a couple of rules. The guest had to meditate at five-thirty in the morning, help the temple fold laundry in the laundry rooms, and fast from 6 PM until lunch of the following day.
Of course, as we can read above, that also came with some unforgettable memories. If you had a chance to sit down with some good whiskey and a couple of Buddhist monks, wouldn't you be okay with a little laundry?
Saving Them for Later
You know the feeling. You have a buildup of earwax, and you need to get rid of it, but you're sitting in an Airbnb that is a little unfamiliar. You open a box only to discover it's full of nail clippings. Classic. No, of course, it's not classic. It's weird and gross and the kind of thing that you're going to note in your review.
Granted, there are lots of far worse things that could be in the box, but nail clippings are still not a wonderful find. Those things tend to stink, especially if they're from the feet.
Payment in Kind
It's pretty hard for us to blame this person. Cheetos are great. They're proof of God's love for us. When you've had a little too much to drink it can be nigh-impossible to ignore a bag of the golden treasures, such as in this story. Thankfully, the other guest had something of greater or equal value on hand in order to make up for it.
As long as they were some of the top-level cookies like thin mints or the lemon ones. None of that coconut stuff, keep that trash. We can neither confirm nor deny whether the host accepted the offering.
So No Showers Here, Huh?
As the story says, we've heard of plenty of far worse places for Airbnbs compared to a shower curtain that is randomly in the bedroom. Did the shower have any kind of cover? It doesn't say, but we're going to go with no.
The storyteller relates that this kind of small issue would be the kind of thing he or she would rush to fix as fast as possible, but their guest must have forgotten to complete it. Obviously, the guest had a bad showering experience and ended up with a broken shower rod, but why?
Not Exactly a Smooth Criminal
Stealing from the Airbnb you rented seems to almost be a rite of passage if these stories are anything to be believed. The thief responsible for this had just gotten out of prison and was immediately back to her old tricks, using a stolen credit card to book the rental area.
Jokes on her, though, since the host's Korean mother discovered them trying to make off with some of the other stuff and scared them away, and they ended up leaving a bunch of their own stuff there as an unintentional trade. Seeing as she had just gotten out of jail, we bet there wasn't that much great stuff.
Was There at Least a Child?
Being a good house guest means keeping things clean, but this guest might have taken things a little too far. They wanted to make sure everything was tidy, but we don't really think hiding used diapers inside the cupboards is the proper way to do this. We have to hope that the someone who stayed at least included a child of diaper-using age.
If not, well then this nice policeman has some follow-up questions if you'll just go with him. For everybody out there who might not be sure: diapers go in the trash. Right in the trash. Right away.
Just Do as You're Told, People
We know the story says helpful, but this is sarcasm. Just in case you weren't sure. The guests didn't get the hint, no matter how many times they were told to put the keys in the letterbox, and that resulted in the house's actual owner being locked outside for an entire day.
Amazingly (sarcasm again), Airbnb customer support wasn't any help. You'll find this is a pretty common occurrence when it comes to stories about Airbnb customer support. Hopefully, the owner had somewhere they could stay until help came.
Lesson, Consider Yourself Learned
Man, it's almost as if that's a really stupid thing to do, and this person got what he deserved. Dogs love to be pet and cuddled, but poked isn't exactly their favorite. Depending on the kind of dog this was, it might have done far more damage to the offending poker than he thought was possible.
Even a little dog can have some sharp chompers – and they might just know how to use them, too. Next time, smart guy, just give the dog a scratch between the ears and go about your business. It'll save you a lot of trouble.
At Least They Can Do Something
That's got to be nice. Airbnb sometimes does jump through a bunch of hoops to pick up some positive press, since there's so much other negative press about them swirling around out there (including on this list). Guys, with their short hair, don't really need hairdryers, even if they could be useful. Then again, they do dry the scalp out and sometimes that isn't good.
Ladies tend to need them a little more, which makes us wonder why this lady didn't bring her own, but Airbnb was able to help her out by sending on with the quickest shipping we've ever seen or heard of.
We're Are Down for This
It turns out the real international language is cars. These two people, who might have never ever been able to communicate in any other way, sat down to watch Jeremy Clarkson and his friends play around with some fun four-wheeled machines.
Usually being woken up in the middle of the night by a strange man who can't speak your language is the start of a bad story, but this one turned out to be memorable and fun.