Bride's Airbnb reservation canceled on wedding day, TikTok video goes viral

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - A bride and her bridal party were evicted from their Airbnb reservation on the day of her wedding, sparking a viral TikTok video that has garnered nearly 10 million views. The host, Reina Tarte, is now sharing her side of the story.

Host shares her side of the story

A TikTok video showing a bride and her bridesmaids being asked to leave their Airbnb reservation on the day of the wedding has gone viral.

Many viewers criticized the property owner, Reina Tarte, but she claims the full story wasn't shared online.

What they're saying:

Reina Tarte, the Airbnb host, expressed her frustration over the situation, emphasizing the importance of communication and adherence to rules. Tarte, a longtime host and a Superhost for three years, received a reservation for two people and did not anticipate any issues.

"I sent her a message and told her, 'Hey, we have a limit of people. Up to six because of liability issues,'" Tarte explained.

The person who made the reservation did not attend, and Tarte was not informed that the property would be used for wedding preparations involving more than two guests.

"When you're talking about liability, there's a lot of people in there, and on the Airbnb app, there's only two people. All those people need to be accounted for on the app as guests," Tarte said. "So, if anything happens, Airbnb knows if there's a liability, they will be aware of it."

Due to the lack of response from the guests regarding the number of people in her home, Tarte reached out to Airbnb for guidance, leading to the cancellation of the reservation.

Airbnb responds

The other side:

FOX 26 reached out to Airbnb and a spokesperson stated:

"Hosts on Airbnb set occupancy limits for their listings, typically for safety and liability reasons, and we ask guests to respect those rules. Even so, we appreciate this was a disappointing experience for the guest on an important day, and we have fully refunded them and provided a travel credit for future use." 

According to Airbnb, the booking was made for two guests, and the host sought to confirm in advance that just two guests would be staying. The booking was canceled after the host was made aware that the number of visitors at the property exceeded the booking total and occupancy limit for their listing, the company says. Airbnb says their teams reached out to the guest to provide support, including a full refund.

Airbnb also shared these tips for guests:

• To help set expectations for stays, hosts set House Rules for their space, such as quiet hours, the maximum number of guests permitted, or whether visitors are allowed. House Rules are visible on listing profiles, so guests can review them ahead of booking.
• If guests would like to discuss any potential exceptions to a House Rule, we ask them to communicate with the host via on-platform messaging before booking to help make sure the space will best fit what they’re looking for. Host cancellations on Airbnb are rare, and many hosts work hard to uphold their bookings.