A woman traveled to Miami for work and accidentally left $3,000 worth of vintage gowns and a beauty device in her Airbnb. She claimed the host intentionally “withheld” the items, with no intention of giving them back. So, she took matters into her own hands to secure her belongings.
In a video with over 65,000 views, TikToker Taylor Conzelman (@taylor_conzelman) says she was rushing out the door to check out because she was attending an event later that day. About four hours into her event, she says she realized she left three vintage designer gowns and a Halo beauty device in the Airbnb.
She says she first noticed something was wrong when she saw that the Airbnb host opened a claim against her for not putting the keys in the dropbox. Conzelman says she messaged the host to inquire about the claim and to ask her when she can retrieve her items.
“She said, ‘I don’t think so. The cleaners already came; there’s already a guest there,'” Conzelman recounts. When she pressed more, she says that the host told her the items may “turn up” eventually.
Conzelman called the host “passive aggressive” in her responses and informed her that she has “54,000 followers on TikTok.” She claims the host told her she would call the police and report her for “cyberbullying” if she made a video.
Did She Get Her Items Back From The Airbnb?
Conzelman opens up her own claim with Airbnb regarding the items she left behind. She submits a photo with the gowns in the closet to prove that they were in the Airbnb.
She says the host continued to escalate the situation, even writing a review accusing Conzelman of trashing the unit.
The Airbnb host‘s review reads, “Taylor’s msgs became increasingly aggressive” and references Conzelman’s mention of making a TikTok about the experience.
Conzelman ultimately decided to take matters into her own hands to get the items back. Conzelman says she drove back to the Airbnb and waited outside. An older man walked out, and she explained her predicament, she says.
“He says, ‘I’m going to help you. I have been having problems with this unit,'” she alleges. She says that the man lets her into the building, and she knocked on the door of the unit she stayed in.
A man answered the door, she says, and she described her missing items to him. She says he told her to wait and quickly brought the missing clothing to the door. The man’s wife also found her beauty device in the bathroom and gave it back to her.
“I got everything back because of the kindness of these people who did not know me,” Conzelman says.
Conzelman shares an update in the caption, writing, “Airbnb offered me a coupon totaling the amount of my stay in Miami. I’m satisfied with this but this host was still psychotic.”
Viewers reacted to the resolution of the Airbnb drama in the comments.
“I’m happy you got your things back but I’m raging for you after reading that review of hers. WHAT,” one said.
A second remarked, “So happy you got the items back I’ll be deleting Airbnb my clothes are my prized possessions.”
“So they were still there makes me wonder if they actually cleaned before the next guests got there,” another pointed out.
What Should You Do If You Leave Items At Airbnb?
Airbnb doesn’t have a set policy on how hosts and guests should coordinate returning left-behind items after a stay. However, Airbnb does allow guests to send hosts money through the platform to cover shipping costs for lost items.
Previous guests on the r/Airbnb subreddit suggested what others should expect if they realize they’re missing items.
A commenter said, “This is frustrating. If Airbnb and the host are ignoring you you’re are pretty much out of luck . I’d try to escalate with Airbnb.”
“It’s not really the host or Airbnb’s fault that you can’t keep track of your stuff. Take the L, move on and stop bothering everyone with the consequences of the mistake you made,” a second remarked.
Airbnb hosts weighed in, too, sharing how they handle similar situations.
“Our standard policy is to tell guests that we will hold abandoned property for 6 months and they are welcome to return to the house to retrieve it,” one said.
“As a host I’ve shipped all sorts of things back to guests (including $1,000 in cash and the same in gift cards), all on my own dime,” another shared.
In an email to BroBible, Conzelman said she ultimately took down her viral TikTok because Airbnb sent her a $1,000 voucher.
“I don’t really want to pursue this further because I’m ultimately satisfied with how they handled it, and it seems like the host was removed,” she shared.
An Airbnb spokesperson also weighed in on the situation in an email to BroBible, encouraging guests to double check they have their belongings before check out.
“Our teams have been in touch with the host and guest following this interaction, confirmed that the guest was able to retrieve her belongings, and we have additionally provided the guest with a coupon as a goodwill gesture,” they wrote.