Hotel kicked out a solo female traveler at 3 am after canceling her room mid-flight. Her viral video triggered an apology that only made things worse
Sara's video had recorded how the hotel staff dismissed her bookings and she was left without accommodation in the middle of the night
For a traveller, the world is embroidered with country-shaped gems that deserve to be explored. However, in the world of travel and tourism, these gems often become salivating resources for scammers to grab some loot from innocent explorers. 28-year-old female traveller Sara Bevivino (@bevivinos) ventured out on a trip to Hurghada, Egypt. The moment she arrived at the hotel, the staff told her that there was no accommodation available despite her confirming weeks in advance. Unable to digest their revulsion from the etiquette of hospitality, the woman was left stranded in the middle of the night, as she captured in a June 25, 2026, Instagram video. Later on, the hotel apologized to her and urged her to delete the video, but by then, it was too late. She had lost her trust in them.
Stranded in the middle of the night
“Before travelling, I informed the hotel that I would be arriving late at night, and they confirmed that this would not be a problem because their reception was open 24 hours a day,” Bevivino told WhatsTheJam. “However, when I arrived, I was told my reservation had been cancelled and there were no available rooms despite having a confirmed booking.
In the dark night in a foreign city, Bevivino was left without accommodation. After wandering outside for a while, she asked the hotel staff to contact another property where she had previously stayed. That hotel still had a room available, so she took an Uber there. Later on, the hotel approached her to apologize, but the traveller said she was disappointed because the apology came after so many days and only after the video went viral. “They had several days to do so,” she remarked.
Apology or formality?
Soon after the video got viral, the hotel requested her to delete the video, as she explained in Part 2. But Bevivino simply refused to remove the video. Her intention, she clarified, wasn’t to attack or humiliate Egypt, but simply to bring awareness to the hospitality industry that no traveller should be left without accommodation in the middle of the night. “You don’t leave a solo female traveller stranded at 3AM,” said Bevivino, who is originally from Italy and now lives in Switzerland. She wanted to ensure that situations like these don’t happen to other solo travellers. Not only that, the hotel also offered her a free stay which she turned down.
Racket of travel booking scams
According to a survey by McAfee, 38% of travellers have encountered some or the other travel-related scam and 41% of those have lost their money as a result. In this case, Bevivino received free stay in the hotel, but not everybody has a viral video to reimburse their loss. What she experienced could be what GenDigital calls a “Reservation Hijack Scam.” These scams based on messages that look like real-time hotel booking showing the right accommodation and right trip details. According to the outlet, nearly 350 accommodations across 50 countries are compromised with these scams some way or the other. The survey revealed that not just hotels, but apartments, inns, motels, lodges, resorts, guesthouses, hostels, villas, and bungalows are also shadowed by scams like these.
'As if I would trust them again with my safety'
Viewers empathized with the Bevivino, with most of them suggesting she keep the video post public, because, apparently, the hotel was apologizing to her only because the video got viral and their reputation was at stake. @unicornflightattendant commented, “The video will cause them significant harm, they say. But they didn't care if significant harm could have been done to you when leaving you stranded for the night. The free stay wouldn't mean much to me tbh. As if I would trust them again with my safety.” @brklyn_the_creator said, “Just glad she’s safe.”
You can follow Sara Bevivino (@bevivinos) on Instagram to follow along her travel adventures.
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