Is it too much to ask for a hotel room that lives up to the task? Seeing as most of us can’t afford to stay in a luxury five-star establishment every time, all we’re after is essentially just a private space with a bed in it. Unfortunately, in some places out there, the private part of that measly requirement is not guaranteed.
TikTok user @alexxaanicole had everyone on the app sharing her horror when she checked into her room while on a work trip in Philadelphia and was outraged to find that holes had been drilled into the walls opposite the bed. Not just one or two, but 10 of them in total. In a bizarre move, it seems the hotel staff had attempted to obscure the holes’ existence by haphazardly stuffing them with wads of toilet paper.
Naturally, Alexa complained about the abhorrent conditions in the room, leading the supervisor to offer her an excuse that is truly jaw-dropping in its unmitigated gall. “It’s all part of the rustic vibe,” Alexa was told. Rustic vibe??? Yes, it is absolutely a deliberate design choice to have peep holes hastily covered with tissue in every room. I believe it’s known as Psycho chic.
Miraculously, Alexa’s night somehow got worse from there. Despite the “rustic” excuse, she didn’t agree to stay in her initial room so she was relocated to a new one. After going out for dinner and finally crawling into bed, however, Alexa was alarmed all over again when she discovered this room had holes, too. Specifically, one drilled into the ceiling, directly above where she was sleeping.
Proving she would be the person who survives a horror movie, Alexa thankfully did the smart thing and got the heck out of there. From another hotel, an exhausted and angry Alexa — who had a big work event the following day so really didn’t need all this aggravation — gave us a further update. Outing the prior place’s name as Sonder The Heid, Alexa revealed that staff had only doubled down on the “rustic” lie and were refusing to give her a refund.
“That is disgusting,” a furious Alexa says. “That is a Black Mirror episode. That is a f***ing Black Mirror episode. F*** that place. I hope no one ever goes there.”
Finally, just to give us a taste of how obnoxious the staff were to deal with, Alexa shared some screenshots of her text conversation when she complained about the ceiling hole in the second room. After sending a lengthy, passionate, and entirely appropriate reply about how she did not feel safe as a woman staying in such a room, the staff member simply replied, “Hi Alexa, oh dear!” Alexa’s hilarious reply? “OH DEAR WHAT?”
To be clear, this fear-inducing Philadelphia establishment isn’t technically a hotel. Sonder is actually a short rentals company, backed by none other than Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, which has risen up over the past few years to become the largest host of Airbnb properties. Despite its website describing what they do as a “celebration of modern design and exceptional comfort,” a glimpse at the comments on Alexa’s videos show you just how many horrors stories people have of Sonder places. You might say there’s some holes in Sonder’s reputation.