Like with everything else in life, when it comes to hotels and Airbnb, what you pay for is what you get. But every once in a while, travelers come across places to stay that exceed expectations in all the wrong ways.
So we’ve gathered some of the worst hotel and Airbnb experiences and failures that netizens simply had to shame online. We also got in touch with veteran traveler Monica Stott to learn a bit more. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote the worst fails, and be sure to share your own ideas and stories in the comments section below.
#1 That Went From Horrifying To Unexpected Perk Rather Quickly
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#2 My Hotel View. It's Actually Nice To Have Quiet Neighbors
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#3 You Won't Be Getting Any Sleep There. Even With The Blinds Closed, You'll Know It's Watching
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Bored Panda got in touch with veteran traveler Monica Stott and she was kind enough to share some of her experience with us. First and foremost, we wanted to hear what advice she would give her younger self in regards to traveling.
“You don’t need all that stuff! Find your favorite travel outfit and stick with it and forget about all the ‘just in case’ items. You never need them. But pay for extra cloud storage and backup your photos and videos. Those photos are priceless, look after them,” she added, and for good reason, every single country in the world has something beautiful to capture.
#4 I Found A Pair Of Handcuffs Attached To A Leg Of The Bed In My Airbnb In Tijuana
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#5 TV In My Hotel
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#6 While My Family With Young Kids Were Staying At This Airbnb, An Old Man Walked Into The Backyard And Started Draining The Pool
The pool was included in our stay. We also rented the whole house which in my mind should include privacy and no interruptions from the homeowner.
Image credits: Particular-Bike-9275
When it comes to hotels, everyone has their own philosophy. Some prefer to rough it out and save their money for tickets and activities, while others enjoy living in the lap of luxury. Naturally, given Monica’s experience, we wanted to hear her opinion on when to splurge and when to save.
#7 AC Wasn't Cooling Effectively In My New Hostel Room. Maintenance People Didn't Respond, So I Decided To Take A Look Myself. This Is The Filter
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#8 They Said That Hotel Includes A "Private Balcony". It's Just A View Of The Wall Of The Next Building
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#9 The Running Hot Water At My $550/Night Hotel Room In Paris
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“If we lived in a perfect world then we’d all have plenty of time and plenty of money and we’d be free to make the choice about which is most important to us. But we don’t live in a perfect world and it’s not normally a choice. Some of us have one or the other, most of us don’t have enough of either!”
#10 My Airbnb Host Said: "The Lock Box Is Near The White Door. It Is Silver With Black Plastic"
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#11 I Stayed At Made Hotel In NYC, And This Was My View From The Bed
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#12 I Was Staying At A Hotel In Canada. They Were Doing Construction And Didn't Bother To Put Any Signs, So This Morning, I Fell Down 3 Feet
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“Just remember that nothing has to be forever. You might prioritize time at one stage of your life (perhaps when your children are little) and then prioritize money for a while (perhaps in your 50s so you can retire young). There’s no right or wrong, we all just do what feels right at the time,” she shared with Bored Panda.
#13 I Found This Camera In My Vacation Rental
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#14 Salad In The Italian Restaurant In Egypt Hotel
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#15 Welcome To The Underground
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“I definitely prefer traveling slowly and paying less to do so. But do I have 10 weeks to slowly travel around Europe by train? No, no I don’t. So, at the moment, I’ll be taking a quick flight every other weekend to European cities for a 2-night break!” After all, as this article shows, not all hotels are made equal, so it’s best to know what to look out for.
#16 This Has Made Me Laugh
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#17 I Stayed At A Hotel With Giant Fleas On The Wallpaper
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#18 My Hotel Window On The 8th Floor Has A Window That Opens From The Bottom And Opens Up Far Enough To Fall Through The Frame
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We also asked Monica to share her own tips on how to prepare for a trip. “I don’t like to over-prepare because it can take the joy out of stumbling upon things and enjoying the moment. There are a few things I like to do though: Book my accommodation, know how I’m getting from the airport/train station to my accommodation, and roughly know how much things will cost.”
#19 View From The Hotel Room. They Claimed We Would Get City Views
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#20 I Tried To Open The AC Vent At The Airbnb I'm Staying At On Vacation And Found This
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#21 My Airbnb Assured Me They Have A "Very Safe" Baby Gate
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“Have a short list of things I want to see, a few restaurants I’d like to try and plot these places on Google Maps so I don’t get lost.” If you want to learn more travel tips, check out Monica’s Instagram as well as her blog. For those who weren’t turned off hotels and Airbnb from this article, check out some travel ideas for 2024.
#22 The "City View" From My Hotel Room In Istanbul
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#23 At The Hotel I’m Staying At. Definitely Not Suspicious
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#24 First Day Of Vacation And Our Half Of The Hotel Doesn't Have Power. Guess Who Might Be Going Home Early
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#25 I Saw The Full Mirror In My Hotel Room Randomly Shake And Discovered This Space In The Wall Behind It
Apparently, the hotel tried covering up damage done by a previous guest.
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#26 The Airbnb Has A Window From The Shower To The Living Room
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#27 The Staircase At My Hotel Room Just Drops Off
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#28 The Sheets At My Airbnb. Homeowner Wouldn't Answer The Phone Because It Was The Sabbath, And He Couldn't Work
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#29 The Hotel Advertised Having A Balcony. This Is The Balcony
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#30 Why Hotels Do This
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#31 TV In My Hotel Room
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#32 The Charcuterie Board At My Hotel
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#33 My Hotel Made The Walls Of The Bathroom Fully Transparent
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#34 Sprinklers In My Hotel Room
"Remove after installation" written on the cap.
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#35 $160 A Night In This Disgusting Hotel Room In Midwest USA
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#36 I Found This Gem At A Hotel In Wisconsin
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#37 Hotel Manager Decided To Come Into My Room While I Was Still In There To Paint The Door That Didn't Even Need Painting, In My Opinion
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#38 Got An Airbnb Just For The Tub
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#39 Someone Urinated (I Think) In My Hotel Room's Bed
I’ve been sitting on top of the duvet for the past 3 hours. I showered, then pulled the covers back to find this… Smells funky.
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#40 Notice To Airbnb Guests
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#41 I'm Staying In A Hotel Room And Found This License Plate Hidden Under The Mattress
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#42 Me And My Girlfriend Stayed At The Hotel, Where The Valet Driver Decided To Take My Car For A Joy Ride And Ran My Car Up A Curb
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#43 Safety Precautions Inside A Hotel I Was Staying At In Bali
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#44 Yep, I'll Definitely Know What To Do "In Fire Emergency", Hilton Garden Inn Cherry Creek (Denver)
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#45 I Arrived At My Airbnb In Sao Paulo At 3 AM And Found This Mess
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#46 What In The World Is That?
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#47 Airbnb Asking For Tips After Charging A Cleaning Fee
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#48 Hotels Should Make Blinds Useful Again
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#49 The Hotel I Stayed At Last Night Said They Provided Free Breakfast
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#50 This Hotel Provides Hair Dryers But Tells Their Guests Not To Use Them
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