When you book a hotel room, you expect the basics: clean sheets, a freshly made bed, and a safe space to rest.
After all, the average mid-range room in the U.S. costs about $170 a night—and that doesn’t include peak travel seasons or upgrades for something fancier.
But as one traveler recently learned, in one of the worst ways imaginable, those very basic requirements aren’t always guaranteed.
What happened at this Residence Inn Marriott?
TikTok user Tanner Spaulding (@selflessfitness), a Baltimore-based fitness coach and bodybuilder, posted a video from his room at a Residence Inn Marriott that has since gone viral.
“Have you ever laid down in a hotel bed for a midday nap,” he asks, his voice dripping with disbelief, “and literally laid in someone else’s [expletive] diarrhea?”
He pans the camera across the bed, showing dark streaks smeared across the comforter, sheets, and mattress cover.
“When the whoosh of the air from the sheets hit me, it smelled like [expletive] [feces],” he says. “And then my leg was wet. And I realized I’m laying in someone else’s [expletive] [feces].”
In the caption, Spaulding explained he was in Toronto to compete at a bodybuilding competition. He also shared what happened in the aftermath.
“The first question when the housekeeper walked in after I reported the incident: ‘So, you already showered?’” Spaulding wrote. “Lady, you think I’m just gonna roll in some diarrhea and not IMMEDIATELY TAKE A FXCKING SHOWER!?”
The incident occurred at a Residence Inn by Marriott in the Toronto Airport.
Other travelers say it happens more than you’d think
If this sounds like a one-off nightmare, countless Reddit threads suggest otherwise.
Guests have shared stories of checking into freshly made hotel beds only to find hair, makeup stains, or worse, suggesting that some hotels don’t always replace bedding between guests.
In a Reddit post on r/Marriott, a traveler shared that their “clean” hotel sheets smelled of body odor and perfume, leading them to strip the bed themselves. Another wrote that they found underwear tucked between the sheets.
A third guest wrote that their hotel bed was ‘covered in hair’—and said the staff did little to fix it.
What can you do if this happens to you?
Finding a biohazard in your hotel bed isn’t just disgusting—it can be a health risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to human waste can lead to infections and other serious illnesses.
So what do you do if it happens to you? Experts say you should:
- Document everything: Take photos or video before touching anything.
- Contact hotel management immediately: Share exactly what you found and request a new room. Condé Nast Traveler advises being specific with times, details, and staff names to get a proper resolution
- Escalate if needed: If the front desk doesn’t take action, reach out to the hotel’s corporate office or even your local health department.
‘This is beyond nightmare fuel’
The comments on Tanner’s video reflect the collective horror of viewers.
“Instant lawsuit,” one person wrote.
“Human waste is considered a biohazard,” another said. “You definitely need to complain harder than getting one free night.”
Others were simply stunned: “This is beyond nightmare fuel. WOW.”
Some skeptics even questioned whether the mess was his. In a follow-up comment, Tanner addressed that.
“While I’m not sure I can ‘prove’ it wasn’t me in any meaningful way,” he wrote, “I was in Toronto to compete in a bodybuilding show. Part of the process is meticulously tracking and planning all food intake. I was eating very little and very plain food. My digestion was basically the best it has ever been. I certainly didn’t have any diarrhea—that would have been really bad news leading up to show day.”
@_selflessfitness_ NSFW (due to language): Story Time. I certainly won’t forget this. This was (literally, pun intended) the shittiest part of my Radical Body Transformation Show experience. All I wanted was to catch some afternoon ?. Instead it was an hour of dealing with housekeeping, managers, switching rooms. Do better @Residence Inn by Marriott – the craziest thing was the first question when the housekeeper walked in after I reported the incident: “So, you already showered?” (She meant after laying in the ?). Lady, you think I’m just gonna roll in some diarrhea and not IMMEDIATELY TAKE A FXCKING SHOWER!? #poop ♬ original sound – Selfless Fitness
The Mary Sue has reached out to Spaulding via TikTok messages and Marriott via email.
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