An adorable Harry Potter bed and breakfast in Watford, England was left stripped bare of its magic following a guest’s recent stay.
Home Lea Stays, the owner of a rental property designed for lovers of Harry Potter, shared the disturbing aftermath on TikTok. It quickly went viral, racking up more than 6 million views and upwards of 8,000 comments.
Highlights
- A Harry Potter-themed AirBnB in Watford was vandalized by guests, leaving it in a horrific state.
- The AirBnB owners claimed Booking.com did nothing to address the incident.
- The viral TikTok showed smashed furniture, brown stains, and a broken TV soaked in bleach.
Throughout the video, brown stains could be seen splashed all over the bed, as well as an equally dirty bucket sitting on top of an ironing board. The furniture lay in a mess all over the living room with debris littering the carpet.
Orange Fanta splashes stained the white walls of the windowsills, and the TV had been smashed with “bleach poured all over it.”
Owners of a Harry Potter bed and breakfast were left "heartbroken" following a guest's recent stay
Image credits: homelea.stays
Later on, the clip showed their beloved Harry Potter mug smashed in glass pieces, strewn carelessly all over the floor, as well as the table.
“We have never had anyone do this,” stated the voiceover. “This was made for families with children and now we have had to close it down until it is safe.”
More questionable stains were seen in the carpet and, in a part 2 of the viral video, the owners confirmed that the brown liquid that was dried up along the bed was cocoa butter and coffee. A knife lay by the window, along with cannabis.
Image credits: homelea.stays
The entire accomodation was a family-owned business, according to the clip, and claimed the guest had booked it through Booking.com, instead of the AirBnB website. They were convinced the mess wasn’t anything personal and stated that the police had all the necessary information they needed.
For a while, people were convinced it was a crime scene.
“I’d honestly call forensics because that bed does not look like just mess,” one person said.
A strange brown liquid covered almost the entirety of the bed
Image credits: homelea.stays
“Take photos of damages. Make a list of the damaged items that need replacing and find receipts. Record bookings you had to cancel due to this. Contact a solicitor to claim damages and loss of earnings,” another suggested.
“This feels like a murder scene,” a third stated.
One user clarified, “The Criminal Damage Act 1971 defines someone who causes criminal damage as: ‘A person who, without lawful excuse, destroys or damages any property belonging to another, intending to destroy or damage.’”
Many were thinking it may be a crime scene
Image credits: homelea.stays
“No one deserves their property/possessions to be treated like this, I’m so sorry that this happened to you,” someone offered.
At the end of the day, the owner said they’ve done everything they can to make sure the home is still available to stay for other guests.
“The most heartbreaking thing, how someone can be so cruel to do this to a place which was thoughtfully made to make young children smile,” they said.
Via email, Booking.com gave Bored Panda a statement in relation to the issue.
"We do not tolerate destructive behavior and we are sorry to hear about any damage caused to the property. Regarding this case, the partner has not yet reported guest misconduct or reached out to our customer services team.
"We encourage the partner to do so to enable us to thoroughly investigate, cooperate with local authorities or law enforcement and if necessary, block the responsible customer from our platform."
Image credits: homelea.stays
Many AirBnBs available near Watford are Harry Potter-themed, given the close location of Warner Brothers Studio Tour London, which is situated in Leavesden. Many of the beloved franchise’s films were made here.
It has been continuously labeled as a “must-see” for those visiting England for the first time.
Others pushed for this case to be brought to court
Image credits: CJ19158695
Image credits: AustinHem63
Image credits: VinoVeritas1982
Image credits: dchen6
Image credits: MBEMom
Image credits: AFJudy70
Image credits: RealRadmoderate
Image credits: NYSportsfan63
Image credits: WesternMan_88
Image credits: NPCliberator
Image credits: MissRobinAustin
Image credits: B25Roman
Image credits: valerievalpal
Image credits: C369Fox