Over the weekend user @jennykershawx shared these photos from an apparent recent vacation they took in Vietnam. "Our hotel pool ... booking.com VS reality," they wrote with crying-laughing emojis.
Our hotel pool in Vietnam...booking.com VS reality 😂🤣😂 we’ve been done there
Their comparison photos have gone super viral, with over 69,000 retweets now. Nice.
BuzzFeed News has reached out to the user.
People were both amused and shocked to see the difference between the advertised photos of the hotel's Jacuzzi...
@zcrou @jennykershawx this one? It's a little misleading as well
...and the actual Jacuzzi @jennykershawx apparently encountered. People noticed it was so small its steps couldn't even fit the full "welcome" on it.
@jennykershawx @Stevenibrown82 Too small to even put the E in welcome 💀
People were cracking up, calling it "next level clickbait" and pretty relatable.
HAHAHAH next level clickbait https://t.co/0uoHulMgD8
Me posting vs what I look like in real life https://t.co/G7cNrffHMt
something similar to tinder https://t.co/BVCrSUt3Yk
"I know that feeling," he tweeted, attaching a photo of what he said was advertised for a hotel he booked via Booking.com.
The hotel, just off La Ramblas in Barcelona, is called Hotel Curious.
Vernazza said he was only staying for one night so he didn't look into the photos or the hotel descriptions too closely.
"If they are just going to use a photo, they could have at least used the Gaudí Cathedral or a nicer photo," Vernazza added.
On Monday, Booking.com took notice of the viral tweets and subsequent photos and asked the original user to flag them to the company. However, the user said they weren't interested in filing an official complaint.
@jennykershawx Hi Jenny, our support team can definitely look into this and help you with a complaint. We recommend sending the photos to customer.service@booking.com, including your confirmation number. Our team will get back to you as soon as is possible.
"It's just funny," they tweeted back.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, a rep for the company said they have over 150 million verified reviews. They said customers can consult beyond what the hotel advertises to get "an authentic impression of the actual experience" at each hotel.
@jennykershawx
"Only customers who have actually stayed at a property are invited to leave a review and these are never edited in any way, as we believe it's important for consumers to have access to the good — as well as the not so good — so that they can make an informed decision about where they book," the rep said.
The company added that if they flag a "a potential disconnect with the way a property is presenting themselves," they will make "adjustments" so that they're "setting accurate expectations for our customers."
@jennykershawx @brownblaze The first picture is accurate ... if you're a mouse.
"In the very rare instance that we detect a potential disconnect with the way a property is presenting themselves ... we take the matter seriously and seek to make adjustments so that they're setting accurate expectations for our customers," they said.
BuzzFeed News followed up to inquire whether the company has made any adjustments to these hotel photos in the Twitter thread.
In the meantime, one person suggested looking up each hotel on user-aggregated photo platforms, like Instagram, before booking.
@jennykershawx @MTyrell_ This is why I search the hotel by location or hashtag on IG and look through visitor photos
And others are just still laughing/impressed with how the photographer finessed the photos.
@jennykershawx Shoutout to the photographer
"This is what I need my friends to do when I say take a picture of me."
This is what i need my friends to do when i say take a picture of me. https://t.co/O0ifEEGTF6