My Airbnb Was Actually Haunted

Author’s note: The following events actually happened…

October 16

So, on the evening of October 16, 2016, I checked into a nondescript Airbnb in Los Angeles — a loft located in the middle of downtown. As a New York City native, I wanted to stay at a location that would put me close to all of the local attractions.

The loft was spacious. There was pool table and several couches for my friends and I to lounge on. Aside from all of the space, I noticed a few weird artifacts hanging around the loft. They were weird enough for me to photograph and post on Facebook.

October 17

The morning of the 17th, I woke up before everyone else to get a jump on the bathroom and to brush my teeth. I noted to myself that it had only been one day that I’d rested my head in this creepy Airbnb. It felt like much longer. The apartment was freezing. More cold than it was outside. Still, I didn’t really make much out of it.

These next few moments are going to sound a bit unbelievable…

After brushing my teeth, I called a cousin of mine who happens to live in the area. We started talking about ghosts over the phone and suddenly my Bluetooth speakers turned on. The music the speakers played was lagging as if the radio wasn’t working properly. The music it played sounded eerie, almost demonic. Keep in mind, it is still morning.

I turned the radio off, got dressed and left the loft to explore for the rest of the day. When I returned, I noticed a friend of mine who had stayed back at the loft was trembling in fear. He said he felt like something “evil” was in the house. He claimed that he felt like there was something watching him. While I was a bit shaken after the radio had turned on by itself earlier on in the day, I didn’t make much of my friend’s claim.

Until I felt an evil presence too.

Sundown…

When the sun went down, things really just started getting weird in the loft. The radio would turn on by itself every now and then. Everyone started getting anxiety over this evil feeling that my friend had spoken about. One of the people I was staying with at the time actually had a panic attack. He claimed that he had seen a shadow glide across the living room and that after seeing it, he couldn’t breathe or talk properly.

Did you ever get negative vibes from a person at the first impression? Imagine that feeling — times 1,000! We all felt this shroud of negative energy consume the house. The more we looked around the loft, the more freaked out we became. On the side-table there was a copy of the book Dante’s Inferno with candles surrounding it. This was no ordinary Airbnb!

That night, I forced myself to sleep. I knew that if I stayed awake, weirder things would happen.

October 18

Luckily, I didn’t have to stay in this Airbnb for much longer. Every time my friends and I walked in and out of the loft, we got goosebumps. It’s safe to say that I’ll be reading Airbnb reviews more closely the next time I book a place to stay.

So, Why Is This Story on a Marketing Blog?

After surviving my experience, I began to get a few ideas. If you host an Airbnb, why not customize your accommodations to certain types of guests or specific holidays and interests? An Airbnb specifically marketed as “haunted” would surely attract millennials (well, other than me, that is). In fact, there are other haunted Airbnbs that really do exist already. Check them out here…if you dare!

Happy Halloween!

Image credits: Horror GIF, Jarrell Chalmers