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A fun California birthday trip a mother planned for her son suddenly became her “most traumatic experience” after staff at the Hyland Inn in Carlsbad, where they chose to stay, allegedly refused to move them to a different room even though there was a visible bloody handprint on the wall. In a TikTok video, the woman explained that she had just checked in when she noticed the small, blood-colored handprint. When she reported it, the staff allegedly insisted she had made the mark herself and refused to clean it or offer another room. “How would I have done that? I just got here. I don’t have anything bloody on me,” she recalled telling them. Instead of helping, she says the manager accused her of lying.
More on What Happened
The content creator mentioned that when she checked online booking sites and saw that the motel still had vacancies, the staff continued to insist there were no open rooms and declined to clean the stain. “They told me I had five minutes to evacuate the motel and they were calling the police on me,” she said. “I did nothing illegal. I slammed the door, yes, but that’s not a reason to kick somebody out.” She added that Booking.com, where she reserved the room, failed to resolve the issue after she reported it. “This was supposed to be such a great birthday for him,” she said of her son, explaining that prepaid tickets to Legoland and a jet-boat adventure were lost. “It was literally the most traumatic experience I’ve ever experienced with my son.”
The mother also noted that the motel’s Google reviews include numerous complaints about rude service and poor conditions, which she now feels match what she encountered. She has reported the incident to the Better Business Bureau and wants both Booking.com and the motel to address what she called “disgusting” customer service.
Netizens React to the California Hotel Incident
A lot of people were worried about the disturbing hand print on the wall. “That’s such a tiny hand print too. I hope that baby is ok 😭,” one person wrote. A second urged the woman to report the incident to the police, writing, “They’re calling the police on YOU???? That’s a child’s handprint. PLS TELL ME YOU CALLED THE POLICE????” A third added, “Oh man with how tiny it is, call the police. I hope this blows up so you get justice.” “Oh this is scary as hell. I hope you’re ok!!!!” a fourth viewer wrote, while another wondered, “They trying to cover that up? That’s bizarre af 😭.”
Some were also baffled that staff refused to easily fix the situation. “That’s weird that they just wouldn’t put you in a different room 🤨 Like why go through all this with an easy accommodation option? Unless you were asking for a full refund or some wild compensation, this is crazy,” one commenter said. Another recalled, “One time I didn’t clean the room properly there was a singular hair found and we had to comp the whole room charge. Girrllll call the news atp.”
