When you travel and choose accommodation for your vacation, the atmosphere of the surrounding area can play a crucial role in deciding where to go.
If the accommodation you choose does not match your expectations, it can not only be frustrating, but also potentially pose a safety risk.
In a video posted to TikTok that has been viewed over 16.3 million times, a Vrbo guest says she booked her stay at a particular location because it presented itself to her as more of a beach town rather than the rough neighborhood she saw while driving through.
An unexpected Vrbo experience
User Olivia (@olivialou_1991) captioned her video by saying she thought she was booking a stay in a beach town and not the dodgy area she saw when they arrived at the house.
“I was sold a beach vacation,” the video caption says. “This is a great neighborhood.”
The video shows several run-down houses on the street leading to the house listed on Airbnb, which is a stark contrast to the state of preservation, as the house has clearly been better maintained.
In a follow-up video, Olivia says that while she was staying at the house, someone tried to break in overnight, talking to themselves and claiming they were going to burn the house down.
The Daily Dot contacted Olivia via TikTok direct message and a comment on the video and Vrbo via email regarding the video.
According to the Vrbo website, if guests provide incorrect information about a property, they may be able to get a new reservation, depending on the differences between the property booked and the amenities available upon arrival.
Comparisons with “barbarian houses”
Some viewers immediately pointed out that the first video, which showed the difference between the rental apartment and the surrounding neighborhood, reminded them of the 2022 film Barbarin which a vacation apartment in a rough neighborhood hides a dark secret in the basement.
“Oh my god this is the barbarian house, I thought people were kidding,” wrote one commenter.
“This is literally the movie barbarian…” said another.
“Have you seen Barbarian by any chance?” added a third.
However, Vrbo rental is not Strictly speaking the house of Barbaras some commentators claimed. Although the film is set in Detroit, the set was built from scratch in Bulgaria.
@olivialou_1991 I was sold a beach vacation. This is a great neighborhood. #crescentcitycalifornia ♬ Original sound – Family Guy
Others wrote that the few abandoned houses seen in the video may make the place seem suspicious, but that there are other houses that look similar to the apartment building and that the place may not be as bad as the poster makes it out to be.
“Only the two houses look bad, but they seem abandoned,” wrote one commenter. “The others seem OK?”
“The abandoned houses could be crack houses, but the rest are normal houses that probably have normal people living in them,” said another.
“This is a middle class neighborhood in my city…” added a third.
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