South Florida visitor stays at stranger’s place thinking it was his Airbnb – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Mar 15, 2022

MIAMI (WSVN) – A visitor from South Florida was sleeping soundly when he woke up abruptly. He was in a house he thought he had rented, but it turned out there had been a major mix-up.

“It’s the best possible outcome to break into someone’s house and spend the night in their bed,” visitor Paul Drecksler said.

Drecksler made an honest mistake after spending the night at what he thought was his Airbnb and turned out not to be.

“I accidentally got the wrong address when switching from the Airbnb app to Google Maps; the address became the house next door,” Drecksler said.

He had just arrived in Miami to celebrate a friend’s wedding. After a long day of travel, he arrived in what he thought was his unlocked room, around 2 a.m.

Even following the instructions left by his Airbnb.

“In the bedroom, the bed was made and ready to go, and there were two clean, folded towels waiting for me,” Drecksler said.

He fell asleep and woke up the next morning to a very confused owner.

“The next morning, I woke up to a knock at the door. I was surprised the guy even knocked on his own door. He’s like, ‘Hey, can I help you? This is my house,’ and I’m like, ‘Uh, no, it’s an Airbnb that I rented.’ He says, “No, this is my house,” Drecksler said. “I could have been woken up by an angry owner. Very bad things could have happened.

The landlord dragged it out and Drecksler found his Airbnb next door.

“Looking back now, I look back, all the clues were there. It’s not the right Airbnb, but at 2 o’clock your brain is like, this is it. This is the one,” Drecksler said.

He now says it’s a fun story to tell after spending the night at a stranger’s house in Miami.

“I’ve stayed at hundreds of Airbnbs and this has never happened before,” Drecksler said.

He said that after this experience, he would revisit and even triple the address the next time he stayed at an Airbnb.