He climbed into bed and passed out. In the morning, he woke up to the sound of knocking on the bedroom door. He was the owner – he wasn’t expecting a guest.
“This is my house,” Drecksler recalled as the man said.
“It’s an Airbnb that I rented,” he replied.
It was only then that Drecksler realized something had gone wrong between retrieving GPS coordinates from Airbnb, entering them into Google Maps, and then using that information to call an Uber. Despite his professional travels, he is the founder of the site TravelisLife.org — and using Airbnbs extensively for a decade, he inadvertently ended up next to the guesthouse he rented.
“It was just the perfect 2 a.m. storm following the instructions incorrectly that proved effective,” he said in an interview with The Washington Post.
Drowsy and mortified, Drecksler profusely apologized to the owner, whose name he still does not know.
“He was super cool about it,” he said, and even called the confusion an “honest mistake” and directed him to the right house. Next, Drecksler followed the same steps — gate, dog, backyard guesthouse — and found an exact match for the listing photos.
He messaged the host letting him know what happened and apologizing: “Well, true story, I spent the night at your neighbor’s house.”
In an Instagram video which he posted later that day, Drecksler said the story was “kinda funny and crazy” in hindsight, but also dangerous and “pretty terrifying” in the moment.
“He could have come in to shoot or call the police or a combination of both,” he said. “Obviously a number of bad things could have happened. The way he reacted was so accommodating to the mistake. It was certainly the best possible outcome that could have happened.
During a pre-wedding dinner with the bride and groom and close family on March 9, Drecksler shared the story, which became the talk of the wedding. He told the group that he felt bad and wanted to send the owner a thank you gift. Someone suggested a lock.
The bride, Stephanie Linder – another frequent Airbnb user – said she had experienced “little mix-ups”, such as going to the wrong door or pressing the wrong button during a stay. Since many people in Miami have in-laws and fenced yards, “I could totally see how it was,” she said.
Knowing her friend was safe, she found the mishap hilarious. But it was also sobering.
“Everyone kept saying if it was a different state he could have been shot,” she said.
Airbnb spokeswoman Ruthie Wabula said in an email that the company had not heard of a similar situation.
“We’re just glad everyone is safe and the confusion has cleared up,” she said.
Drecksler said he didn’t want to disturb the landlord who accidentally hosted him. But he wants to express his gratitude. And if the man happens to read the experience, Drecksler has a message: “If you’re ever in North Carolina or Ecuador, you have a place to stay with me whenever you want,” he said. said.
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