Everyone’s heard of a party crasher. One woman says she recently experienced a new variation on this archetype: the vacation crasher.
She claims that the host of the Phoenix, Arizona Airbnb she rented for vacation showed up with her granddaughter to use the pool while they were there.
Earlier this week, Peyton (@peytonmariiee) posted a seven-second clip of the woman she says was her Airbnb host swimming in the pool. In the TikTok, Peyton films from inside the property. Onscreen text reads, “When the Airbnb host decides to join you on YOUR vacation.”
In the caption, Peyton adds, “Like ma’am..you got 362 other days you can do this.. why you out here with us? Anyways y’all she brought her granddaughter to swim with us and EVERYTHING! She was cool tho..but girl.”
Judging by the post’s virality—it reached 1.7 million views—most people are stunned. Many have urged Peyton to report the host to Airbnb or demand a refund.
A few have suggested there’s another side to the story, however.
The Mary Sue reached out to Peyton via email.
Share and share alike
It is possible that the host of Peyton’s Airbnb was perfectly within her rights to use the pool.
“I can guarantee you it was listed as shared space,” a user named Amanda opined.
As she points out, Airbnb offers an option known as “shared space,” in which guests choose from a variety of options that entail potentially sharing part of the property with others.
Some may rent a room out of an occupied home. Others may rent a structure on a property with shared amenities, such as a yard, riverfront, or pool.
This gives both hosts and guests options. For the host, they can rent multiple properties and advertise the same amenity, thus arguably increasing the desirability of each Airbnb. Or they can use that amenity themselves, as may have happened in this case.
For the guest, renting a shared space can be a more economical way to still have use of a pool, hot tub, or lakefront without paying the premium typically affixed to private access to such features.
People using a shared space are still expected to adhere to certain norms to meet with Airbnb’s terms, of course. But an afternoon swim is likely well within those norms.
Via email, an Airbnb spokesperson said this property does list the pool as shared space.
“With millions of listings available on Airbnb, guests can conveniently discover accommodations that best suit their expectations and needs,” the spokesperson wrote. “This particular listing offers shared access to the backyard and pool—details that were disclosed by the host both on the listing page before booking and directly to the guest via message prior to their check-in.”
Making the case for hotels
If Peyton’s Airbnb host did, in fact, use the pool she and her significant other were supposed to have exclusive access to, this wouldn’t be the first time a host behaved badly.
The internet is rife with horror stories about arduous chore lists, rude hosts, and much, much worse. Guests have been known to behave pretty badly as well.
Many people still love renting directly from property owners through companies like Airbnb. But there are some who have sworn off such rentals in favor of traditional hotels.
Like one who commented on Peyton’s post, “This is why I don’t do Airbnbs. That’s a stranger’s house.”
A second agreed, “I’m back in hotels now for reasons like this. Too much weird stuff going on in these BnBs.”
@peytonmariiee Like ma’am..you got 362 other days you can do this.. why you out here with us?? anyways yall she brought her granddaughter to swim with us and EVERYTHING! She was cool tho..but girl????
♬ original sound – Maddie ?
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