Stephanie Heath
Airbnb is a widely used service for travelers. The site offers various accommodations worldwide in a range of price categories. However, one such accommodation provided a bit more than this family bargained for. A creepy discovery during their stay forced a family to flee their Airbnb.
Videos by Rare
The Details: Kriss and Kate Hardman, along with their three children, were excited for their vacation. They checked into their Airbnb in Perth, Australia, ready for adventure. However, upon checking in, they made a creepy discovery within their Airbnb lodging.
- “It’s a nice place,” Kriss Hardman began, “but there is one thing I am not sure about. Maybe you can help me out,” he addressed his TikTok viewers as he directed his phone camera to the alarming discovery.
- Behind him, a giant camera was pointing towards the Airbnb living room. It also featured a blinking red light, indicating that it was on and recording.
- “Is that allowed in Airbnbs?” the father of three questioned.
Creepy Discovery Forces Family To Flee Their Airbnb
After careful consideration, Kriss and Kate Hardman decided to evacuate their family from the property.
- “We decided to leave the accommodation,” Kriss shared in a follow-up video. “It really spooked us, and the safety of the family, three little kids, is what meant the most.”
Initially, Airbnb supported the family’s decision to flee the property. Additionally, the company told the family that they would assist them in finding equivalent accommodations in the area. Furthermore, they told the family they would cover their hotel accommodation tonight, as they had to pay for a hotel out of pocket.
Unfortunatley, as time went on, the company went quiet.
Airbnb Drops the Ball: Due to a school holiday, there were not many accommodations available. Additionally, Kriss shared that the accommodations that were available were going for “$6,000 more than what the family paid for their original Airbnb.”
- “Once they found that out,” Kriss shared, “They went quiet.”
Social Media To The Rescue
This family’s creepy discovery inside their Airbnb went viral on social media. Hundreds of people commented, shared, and tagged Airbnb. Because of that effort, the videos were flagged by Airbnb social media teams, and it was “escalated to the highest level of management” within Airbnb. After being forced to take accountability for the situation, Airbnb provided the family with the following:
- A coupon that covers the property cost.
- An alternate place of lodging with a similar location and size.
- Reimbursement for everything, including the meal they ate the night before, their hotel stay, and all the Ubers they took that day.
Despite their relief at being taken care of, Kriss had this to say.
- “They [meaning Airbnb] have jumped on board, but it is such a shame that it took the power of social media to reach Airbnb for them to do what is the right thing.”
