His TikTok video has amassed more than 7,50,000 views
A man from Maryland recently recounted his stay at an expensive Airbnb, which he dubbed an 'Airbnb from hell'. Nick Doty, recently shared his harrowing stay at an Airbnb. He shared that his rental space had a bed in the garage, locked-up air conditioning, and amenities that rival a haunted house. His story has stirred outrage on social media.
His TikTok video has amassed more than 7,50,000 views. "We are currently staying at an Airbnb that might be the most pathetic excuse for a house that I've ever stayed at in my life," he said in his clip.
Initially, the San Diego residence seemed like a luxurious mansion with five bedrooms and five bathrooms, showcased at a staggering $4.9 million on Zillow. Doty and his friends were enticed into booking it for $1,250 per night to attend a friend's wedding. Remarkably, the property had previously maintained a solid average rating of 4.78 out of 5 on Airbnb before abruptly disappearing from the platform, as disclosed by Insider.
However, the actual situation was quite different from the enticing listing. Mr Doty unveiled the initial issue with the property: the owners had partitioned the mansion, with one group placed in one half and Doty's group in the other.
The shocker came when he discovered that the house didn't genuinely offer five bedrooms. To his surprise, the so-called "first bedroom" was situated in the garage, a space tainted with the smell of gasoline and lacking proper ventilation and smoke detectors.
Adding to the bizarre experience of their stay, the property owners had placed a crib in the garage room.
The house's problems didn't end there. Mr Doty's friends chimed in with their "preferred" discoveries: a toilet unattached to the wall, shower knobs that came off when turned, and an air conditioning unit costing $25 per day, locked in a box until renters paid the homeowner online.
The frustration extended to the kitchen, where the oven apparently took hours to heat up, and the shower required 12-and-a-half minutes to produce hot water. Even the floors, made of black slate, left marks on the guests' feet, as if they had been traversing through a coal mine.
Mr Doty concluded the clip by saying, "All of this can be yours for $5 million and a lifetime supply of antidepressants."
In response to the viral TikTok, Airbnb issued a statement to The New York Post, "In the rare case a listing isn't as advertised, our AirCover protection for guests provides support with refunds and another place to stay, and we take action on issues brought to our attention. As no issues had been reported to us by these guests, we have contacted them to look into their experience and offer our support."
The company said that Mr Doty has not reached out to them regarding the allegedly appalling accommodation.
The host of the Airbnb, known as Scott, refuted Doty's allegations according to Insider, claiming that there was no "garage bed" and that the group had the oven on the wrong setting, and that there was the requisite number of outlets in every room.