Tourists expecting a sea-view room gets horrible surprise from Airbnb, cracking up the internet

No matter how good a planner we might be, we are bound to make at least one tiny mistake while going on a trip. One of the common mistakes people tend to make is misjudging the ambiance of their stay just by looking at the pictures they posted on the booking site. The internet has a few examples of epic Airbnb fails and recently one German woman's experience would be a hilarious lesson for all travellers. Sonja Dennig, a 28-year-old travel influencer—who goes by @sonnyloops on TikTok—posted the video of her "sea view" Airbnb and it left the internet rolling in the aisles.

The video from late this July showed Dennig entering the Airbnb room she paid for in Westerland, Germany. Right by the bedside was a window that flaunted a beautiful view of the ocean side. It's not until Dennig gives us a closer glimpse of the window we would recognize that the "sea view" is actually fake. As the camera pans up, we can see the poster of a beachside scenery being lit up by a lamp on top of it. Dennig couldn't hold back laughter at how her Airbnb booking failed hilariously. "We were completely ripped off on Airbnb," the text overlay read. 

The video garnered nearly 4 million views in a couple of weeks and people were totally amused. "I think they made the best of the situation, it looks better than a white plastic wall. But when booking, a photo like that is misleading," said @spitzname534. "I would still take pictures and pretend I had that view," quipped @__steffyxy. "Well, if it's too warm outside with the beach and sun, then at least it's nice and cold in the basement apartment," joked @vasili_vase. "At the beginning, this view looked so real that I almost booked it," added @cryptomedia2025.

Just like anyone who watches the video thinks that it is an actual seaview at first, Dennig was deceived too. This could be the perfect instance of the saying, "Appearances are deceptive." What the couple thought to be a great spot for a weekend getaway turned out to be the basement of the Airbnb. "We thought, 'Wow, what a great view we have,' but look, it's just a photo. We're just in the basement," Dennig told The Sun. "You're in bed, it's midnight, but you think it's either evening or morning sun. It's pretty amazing," she added. 

In a follow-up video, Dennig shared how their "sea view" looked when they opened the window. Her partner went through the window and stood on the other side of it which was crammed up enough to fit only one person. He looked up at the light as though he was enjoying the sun and even made gestures like he was swimming in the ocean. Dennig, in the background, couldn't stop laughing as her boyfriend pretended to delight in the fake sea view. The couple's experience might be the best learning for people who jump the gun after seeing dreamy hotel room pictures on the internet. Looks like, we need to dig more before booking an Airbnb nowadays. 

You can follow Sonny (@sonnyloops) on TikTok for travel and lifestyle content.