Couple Discovers Hidden Camera Pointed At Their Bed During Spain Trip, Airbnb Responds

A retired British couple were forced to leave their Airbnb in Madrid after discovering a hidden camera pointed directly at their bed. According to a report by Metro, the couple had travelled to the Spanish capital for a bucket-list trip for their 39th wedding anniversary. Donna, 62, and Raymond Nunn, 87, arrived at the apartment in Madrid's Lavapiés neighbourhood on August 3. Shortly after entering, they noticed what appeared to be a motion sensor or camera in the living room facing the front door. As there was no flashing light, they assumed it was simply a security device and did not think much of it.

The next day, while Donna was out sightseeing, Raymond stayed behind and spotted another device in the bedroom.

The camera, which Donna said was around four inches long, had a green light flashing and was tucked into a corner of the room, positioned directly towards the bed.

The discovery left the couple terrified, particularly because they had already spent a night sleeping in the room without knowing the camera was there.

Airbnb's Response

They contacted Airbnb on August 4 and were advised to leave the property immediately. However, by then it was around 8pm, leaving them with nowhere else to stay that night.

The couple eventually found another apartment about two hours south of Madrid and left the Airbnb on August 5, just two days after arriving.

"We were both shaking when we realised. Raymond took the camera off the wall and turned it around, but it was horrifying. We managed to book another place a couple of hours away, which was nice but meant that we couldn't finish the sightseeing. It's a shame because we will never go back to Madrid now because of this," Donna said. 

The couple received a full refund from Airbnb, including the cost of their rebooking. The company has also removed the property listing from its platform.

An Airbnb spokesperson said, "We have issued a full refund to the guest and have suspended the listing while we conduct a further investigation into this matter. In 2024, we banned all indoor security cameras in listings regardless of where they are placed or whether they are deactivated during guest stays. In the rare event of a violation of our policy on security cameras, we take appropriate action, which can include removing listings and users from Airbnb. Stays reserved through Airbnb are overwhelmingly defined by positive experiences, and we take any reports of issues made to us seriously."