An American visitor was left stunned after his Airbnb host cancelled his booking, leaving him completely “stranded” after travelling more than 200 miles. Kalani, who frequently shares content documenting his experiences as an American in the UK, revealed that he had secured a reservation at an Airbnb in Cumbria for the evening, but upon arrival, he was dismayed to discover that the lockbox containing his key wouldn’t open with the code provided.
“Long story short, they told us that they had to pretty much cancel our reservation, and I had nowhere to sleep last night because the hotels were booked up, and I was gonna just drive back to London,” he explained, noting he wasn’t keen on undertaking the 250-mile-plus journey. Yet after sharing his dilemma online, somebody unexpectedly messaged him saying: “Hey, I have two rooms if you guys wanna come stay with us”. Kalani confessed that he was “tired” and didn’t fancy the five-hour drive back to London, so he and his companions opted to accept her generous offer.
“And let me tell you this. If I could have one person to show the world the hospitality of the folks here in the UK… so, Cumbrian hospitality is absolutely incredible,” he enthused, displaying a photograph of the woman who rescued them on screen.
Kalani said: “Eileen invited three strangers into her home last night, her husband was asleep, and he woke up and was like ‘Oh, hello’. He didn’t know we were gonna be there when he woke up.”
Eileen even prepared breakfast for them when they all got up, and Kalani joked that it surpassed some B&Bs they’d visited. Kalani wanted to emphasise that, if anyone claims people in the UK are not hospitable, they’re “wrong”. Eileen then said it was just “Cumbrian hospitality”.
“So all that being said, I think if there were more Eileen’s in the world, we would all be in a better spot. I even tried to give her money, and she just wouldn’t take it. So, incredible, incredible experience,” Kalani gushed.
He also mentioned that he’s encountered “some of the kindest people ever” while travelling around the UK. In the comments section, people praised how legendary Cumbria is, with one person writing: “Cumbria is one of those places you can end up talking for hours with a total stranger. We’re definitely a friendly bunch.”
Another penned: “Anyone who lives in Cumbria knows that public transport and hospitality are just not reliable, so they will not hesitate to help people. The number of times I’ve been trapped at Oxenholme train station is ridiculous. And this is why they’re the best.”
A third suggested that they all send “Eileen a bunch of flowers”, saying that she’d be “well chuffed” with the gesture.