Who Is Watching? A Practical Look At Hidden Cameras In Short Term Rentals

Most travelers test the shower and check the WiFi password the moment they close the door in their hotel room or Airbnb. The more paranoid might glance at the smoke detector above the bed. Some because they want to know if it works, but a few may be looking for something unsettling. A hidden camera.

In 2017, a couple staying in a Florida rental noticed a tiny hole in the smoke detector over their bedroom. Inside was a camera, and the host was later charged with voyeurism. In 2019, South Korean police said about 1,600 motel guests had been filmed by cameras hidden in TV boxes, wall sockets and hairdryer holders, with the footage streamed online to paying viewers. Police found no sign that the motels were involved. The suspects had checked in as ordinary customers to install the devices.

Rentals have produced their own cases. In 2019, a New Zealand family staying in Ireland found that their host was recording and even livestreaming footage from their room. More recent cases keep surfacing. A Texas host was charged with 15 counts of invasive visual recording after police alleged that more than 2,000 videos of guests were secretly filmed. In January 2026, officers in North Dakota arrested a hotel maintenance worker after a guest reported a camera in her bathroom vent. One 2024 investigation into short term rentals reviewed police files and lawsuits involving at least 75 victims, while Airbnb maintains that complaints are rare and that it acts quickly when they happen.

Nobody knows exactly how often this occurs, which is part of why the topic keeps resurfacing. The odds of any single stay involving a camera are relatively low, but the stakes are high enough that a few minutes of checking can be worth it.