A man has claimed he was fined $10,000 by an Airbnb owner after his friend took a selfie in the bathroom of the luxury house in California where they were staying and posted it on Instagram.
Sean David rented out a famous house in the middle of the Joshua Tree desert called The Invisible House which is covered in huge mirrors. It’s popular with celebs like Lizzo, Demi Lovato and Diplo, and has featured in loads of music videos and TV shows, including a season eight episode of Selling Sunset.
Credit: Netflix
The four-bedroom home was designed by film producer Chris Hanley and is supposed to “reflect and absorb” its surroundings so it literally vanishes into the surrounding desert. Even the CEO of Airbnb Brian Chesky said it’s a “piece of modern art” and “one of the most spectacular homes in the world on all of Airbnb”.
In a now-viral TikTok video that’s had more than 1.4 million views, the sports agent claimed he was hit with the $10,000 bill after a friend took a selfie in the bathroom, posted it on Instagram and tagged a brand. It then got reposted by the brand.
“We rented the invisible house in Joshua Tree for a photo shoot outside. We didn’t let them know we were taking some photos outside and got shook down for 10k over a selfie tagging a brand not even mine,” he wrote.
Credit: Netflix
In another viral post, Sean clarified that they “didn’t actually shoot any brand content in the house,” adding: “We shot outside, but they had an issue with a selfie.”
“A friend’s girlfriend took a photo in the bathroom and tagged a brand that got reposted by the brand. It wasn’t even my brand. We paid 10k for the house and another 10k because of the photo. Also because of our content three other people booked it. I would have gladly paid it if we knew their was an issue with shooting in the desert and used the house also,” he explained.
Credit: Netflix
However, after the post went viral, Sean clarified that he “never intended to diminish the beautiful house the owner designed” and just wanted to “tell his experience”.
The home is still believed to be owned by Chris Hanley, but has been up for sale since 2023 for $18 million. He has not responded to the claims at the time of writing this. On Airbnb, it says the home is managed by a boutique hospitality brand called Fieldtrip and they have not responded either.
You can book to stay at the incredible Invisible House on Airbnb here, for £1676 per night.
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Featured image by: Netflix
