An Idaho couple books an Airbnb in Portland, Oregon, and is shocked to find a “secret” door to a downstairs room. What’s going on here?
TikTok creator Drew Dobney (@drew.dobney) posted a series of videos about her discovery starting on Feb. 25. “OK, we’re in Portland, Oregon, and we have the cutest Airbnb,” she says to start the first video. “But, like, I’m looking at this, and this has to be a secret door, and I’m going to try to open it on camera.”
Dobney films herself struggling to open a pantry in the kitchen, which she notes has a gap at the top. That led her to believe there was a secret chamber behind it. And, sure enough, after a bit of struggling, the door swings open.
“Babe, come look at this,” she tells her husband. He is noticeably less interested in the discovery than his wife. “Why is my husband so nonchalant about this?” she asks in the video’s caption.
Viewers React to the Oregon Airbnb’s ‘Secret’ Door
In the comments section of the video, viewers reacted to Dobney’s discovery and her husband’s lackluster reaction.
“Not only did you find a secret room, but you found out you need a new partner,” joked one viewer.
“A bed … behind a secret door, and he’s worried about YOU being loud,” said a second person.
“Find a man who will investigate for you and not talk down to you,” said a third viewer.
Someone else said, “The fact that every woman is concerned about the husband and not the secret door is absolutely taking me. I love it.”
Another person said, “Get a refund on that… And the AirBnb.”
Dobney Reveals More Info in a Series of Follow-Up Videos
In a follow-up video, Dobney reveals that they went to get groceries, and when they returned, the secret door was locked.
“OK, someone is definitely here,” she says. “We get a text from the owner saying, ‘Hey, we noticed that you guys opened this door. Can you please make sure that you stay upstairs because me and my daughter live downstairs?’”
The TikToker says, “I want to know your take. We don’t have control of the lock. It’s on their side. But thank you so much for caring.”
In a third video, she tells her audience that she didn’t book the Airbnb; a family member did. But when that family member booked the listing, he didn’t see anything about it being owner-occupied and therefore didn’t tell the rest of the family.
If Dobney had gone into the place knowing the owner lived downstairs, she says she obviously wouldn’t have posted the original video. After talking to the host and reviewing the listing, Dobney says the summary does note that fact.
“I also am still married, for everyone who is a Zach hater,” she adds.
In a fourth video, Dobney says that she spoke to her mom, who pointed out that there is a sensor in the door you can see in the original video. That is probably what alerted the hosts to it being opened.
What Are Airbnb’s Rules Regarding Owner-Occupied Listings?
Airbnb does require that listings include details about the type of accommodation being offered and the level of privacy the guests can expect while there. So, if the owner lives on site in a hidden room downstairs or if there are other tenants coming in and out, the owner is supposed to disclose that up front. Hosts that repeatedly ignore these rules can have their listings suspended or even removed altogether.
In this case, it’s unclear whether Dobney’s uncle simply missed that part of the listing at the time or if the language was added retroactively, as Dobney suggests in her third follow-up video. The family would likely need screenshots of the listings or some other kind of proof to extract a refund from Airbnb in this situation.
In a statement to AllHipHop, an Airbnb spokesperson wrote, “We contacted the video creator via TikTok for more information so we could review this but haven’t received a response. Our team will be on hand to help if they respond. Every Airbnb reservation includes AirCover for guests in the rare event that a listing may not be as advertised.”
AllHipHop contacted Dobney via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We will update this story if she responds.
@drew.dobney WHY IS MY HUSBAND SO NONCHALANT ABOUT THIS
♬ original sound – Drew Dobney