Couple finds hidden camera in Airbnb listed as a 'romantic getaway'

Hope Schreiber
·Writer


A couple from Santa Ana, California, was hoping to have a quiet night at an Airbnb, listed as a “romantic getaway,” when they noticed something off about the smoke detector positioned in front of the bed.

Christian Aranda and his girlfriend, Alondra Salas, were excited to spend quality time together at a Garden Grove, Calif., listing that the owner promised would be “cozy and romantic” when Aranda realized that the smoke detector was a hidden camera.

“It’s disgusting, that there’s people out there, recording you, getting intimate,” Salas told Los Angeles news station KABC. “They have this labeled as a romantic getaway on Airbnb.”

As it was already late, they decided to confront the homeowner in the morning and call the police. According to Garden Grove police, the smoke detector was indeed a hidden camera, but it was not on, therefore, nothing had been recorded, KABC reported. As a result, no crime had technically been committed.

“[The homeowner] just said that they were off, and I was like, ‘It doesn’t matter if they’re off! They shouldn’t be there in the first place pointing at the bed,'” Aranda told NBC Los Angeles.

While Aranda and Salas said Airbnb was quick to provide them with a refund for their one-night stay, they both believe more should be done.

“They need to do something about this because not only we were in the room with the cameras, but 24 other people who left reviews were in the room with cameras as well,” Aranda told KABC.

The couple told the outlet they are considering taking legal action against the homeowner and Airbnb.

Airbnb provided the following statement to Yahoo Lifestyle: “The safety and privacy of our community – both online and offline – is our priority. Airbnb’s policies prohibit hidden cameras in listings, and we take reports of any violations very seriously. We promptly removed this host from our platform and completely refunded Ms. Salas based on the information reported. There have been more than 500 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings to date and negative incidents are incredibly rare.”

A spokesperson for Airbnb also confirmed to Yahoo that the listing was taken down as soon as the incident came to their attention, and informed the host that they violated their rules.

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