Nightmare AirBnB that allegedly promised NYC skyline view is actually a room at the back of a restaurant
One Tiktoker has uploaded videos of her recent bizarre Airbnb stay, which includes staying in a room with views onto a restaurant's dining floor.
With the viral video, uploaded on Monday, Desiree Baker (@desireerosebaker) writes: “How is this legal you literally cannot make this up, I can open the window and touch their table,” she said as she filmed footage of her room being right against a dining table with two patrons enjoying dinner.
Ms Baker shows the photos of the room she allegedly booked on the hosting platform, which includes a simple white-painted room with a wooden headboard above the beds and views over New York, with buildings visible through the windows.
She then cuts to her actual room, which has a window covered by a blind – she lifts up the blind to show a restaurant scene. “That's two people eating dinner,” she said in the clip, “they definitely can't see us,” she adds.
Many users told Ms Baker to claim a refund from Airbnb for false advertising. One user commented that she should freak out the diners by airdropping them a picture of them from her window. Another joked that Ms Baker is “their server” as her window actually opened onto the table right outside her room.
In a later video, Ms Baker goes to the restaurant she names as Tempura in Times Square, described on Google as serving “Kosher sushi and small plates ... in a rooftop destination, featuring a bar and city views,” and confirms that the windows offer one-way views. The restaurant is attached to the Cassa Times Square Hotel and Residences, Ms Baker later confirms online.
After posting the footage, the woman Ms Baker filmed sitting at the table outside her window reached out to the Tiktoker. “I'm the girl in the video on your TikTok,” wrote the woman on the date. “I didn't know how else to reach out,” she posed on Ms Baker's wall confirming the name of the restaurant, before Ms Baker had made it public on social media.
The Tiktoker later contacted her host “Kristina” about the inaccurate description of her room. With no reply after 24 hours, she then forwarded a picture of the restaurant view from her room. The host allegedly dismissed her concerns and said: “I believe everything went and is going well during your stay, and glad to know that we were able to host you during this time of year.”
Airbnb also contacted Ms Baker after the viral TikTok video, the platform offered her an account credit, according to the Tiktoker. “Needless to say it definitely shocked us and it's not the experience we want our guests to have. We will definitely be following up with your host,” wrote an Airbnb representative to Ms Baker.
The Independent has contacted Airbnb, the Tempura restaurant and the Cassa Times Square Hotel and Residences for further comment.
