Vacations are supposed to be a time of relaxation, adventure, and creating cherished memories. However, for some unfortunate travelers, their experiences took a horrifying turn, leaving them with stories they’ll never forget. From unsettling encounters to outright bizarre situations, here are 13 vacation stays that turned into unforgettable nightmares.

A Romantic Getaway Gone Wrong My boyfriend planned a romantic weekend at a luxury hotel, and everything seemed perfect—until checkout. His card got declined, and he turned red with embarrassment. I smiled and paid for our stay, thinking nothing of it. As we were leaving, the receptionist discreetly pulled me aside and whispered, “Be careful, I’ve seen this guy do the same thing with other women. He comes here, his card gets declined, and they end up paying.”

I didn’t want to believe her. We were still in the early stages of our relationship, and I trusted him. Over time, though, I noticed a pattern. He started making me pay for shopping trips and other expenses. The final straw came when he tried to manipulate me into investing in a shady scheme. Looking back, I wish I had listened to that receptionist. That weekend stay was the beginning of a string of betrayals.

A Stranger in the Room My dad once checked into a first-floor hotel room. He set down his luggage, opened the curtains, and was met with a terrifying sight—a man hiding behind them. My dad, ever polite, said, “Excuse me,” closed the curtains, grabbed his belongings, and left. He went straight to the front desk to report the incident. Turns out, the man had just robbed a nearby store and had slipped into the hotel room through an open window to hide.

Sleepless in Las Vegas A few years ago, I stayed at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Construction was happening nearby, and something must have gone wrong with the wiring. The alarm kept going off repeatedly, and a recorded voice would periodically announce that there was some kind of emergency and to remain in our rooms until further notice.

This continued all. Night. Long. I couldn’t get a wink of sleep and had to be up early for work the next day. It was one of the worst nights of my life.

A Motel Horror Scene I booked a motel for my daughter’s gymnastics competition. The online reviews were decent, and the price was right. But when we arrived, I could barely find the place—it was dark, and their sign wasn’t lit. The parking lot was pitch black, and two suspicious-looking men stood near the entrance.

Inside, things didn’t get any better. The lobby lights flickered, the sheets were stained, the bedspread had holes, and the bathroom was filthy. Even the fitness room was a joke—it had a single broken stair stepper and an old TV sitting on the floor. I immediately told the front desk I wanted to cancel our reservation. The receptionist sighed and said, “I don’t blame you. This place is disgusting. I have a job interview at Kohl’s, and I hope they hire me so I can quit this place.”

The Haunted Senior Residence I once booked a hotel for a romantic night with my then-boyfriend, who had just returned from months away. What I didn’t know was that the hotel was in the middle of being converted into a senior living residence! The website showed beautiful rooms, but what we got was completely different.

When I checked in, the staff had to move a sign advertising a diabetes workshop out of the way. The room had already been modified for seniors—emergency assistance pull cords were everywhere, and the bed was extremely uncomfortable. It was too late to cancel and rebook, so we had to tough it out.

A Terrifying Hotel Clerk I arrived at my hotel for a work trip at 4 AM after multiple flight delays. The guy behind the desk looked terrifying. When I said I was checking in, he panicked and started randomly calling rooms, apologizing to whoever answered. It became clear that he had no idea which rooms were occupied.

Finally, he found a vacant one and gave me the key. Just as I was about to sleep, I heard someone trying to get into my room at 5 AM. Turns out, he was still confused and had given my room away again. The other guest was sent to sleep in the lobby!

A Valentine’s Day Disaster Last Valentine’s Day, I booked a room at a highly-rated luxury hotel for my wife and me. It was expensive, but I wanted to make the night special. When we arrived, the staff was unbelievably rude, treating us like we didn’t belong there.

The room was tiny, unbearably hot, and the air conditioning didn’t work. When I asked the staff for help, they completely ignored us. We spent the night sweating in a room we had paid a fortune for.

An Army of Spiders When I was four, my family stayed at a hotel with some friends. Five kids were put in one room while the adults went out. We were watching a movie when the floor started vibrating. Suddenly, hundreds—if not thousands—of tiny spiders crawled up the walls from the corners of the room.

We tried throwing marshmallows and ice cubes at them, but it was useless. In the end, we huddled in the bathroom and sealed the bottom of the door with a towel. My parents found us in the middle of the night and screamed so loudly that they probably woke up the entire floor.

A Hidden Camera During an Airbnb stay, my husband and I discovered a hidden camera in our bedroom. We covered it with a towel and went to sleep. At 2 AM, the door burst open, and the owner stormed in, screaming, “Why did you cover the camera? It’s for security!”

He insisted it was aimed outside, but we were deeply uncomfortable. We left first thing in the morning and later found out from reviews that this wasn’t the first time he had done something like this. It was a terrifying experience that left us shaken.

These stories prove that while vacations are meant to be a time of joy, they can quickly turn into unforgettable nightmares. Have you ever had a hotel stay that still haunts you?