Gather round, netizens! For a tale of YouTuber woe has fallen upon us.
We’ll let you know from the jump that we (personally) find that there are few things more insufferable to sit through than 15 minutes of vlogger dramatics. That being said, we’ve lived long enough on this planet to sympathize with DeathByVlog, the duo who checked in to an alleged four-star Langkawi hotel, only to find mold, bugs and some allegedly sticky hands.
Meet Ryan and Stacia (stay-sha), two Americans who run a travel vlog chronicling their stay in a different country around the world, every month. They claim to show you the hidden gems, local eating spots, but also where to find “the best American food.” (Ed. Note: But why?) They also promise to “show you what it’s like to live abroad.”
Great, intriguing. On that note: Welcome to Malaysia, guys. Here, we tend to fill out our own police reports.
Rewind: Last week, Ryan and Stacia checked into the Langkawi Seaview Hotel. They had spent the past month in Kuala Lumpur, a city they “love.” Their plan was to spend three weeks on the resort island, and then one last week in Penang.
Explaining that while the Seaview was further from the beach than they would have wanted, the hotel’s four-star amenities, fast Wi-Fi, and newly renovated premises were enough to sway them into staying. Pictures on Agoda showed large, shiny new rooms.
However, upon checking in, Stasia states that the hallway and rooms were more akin to something from The Shining.
Moldy walls, rooms that were last updated in the ’70s and an insect infestation met the travelers.
Deciding that nothing in life is always perfect, the two stayed, and spent two days in their room without calling housekeeping. On the third day, they went down for breakfast and housekeeping asked if they wanted to have their room cleaned. They said yes, and went on their way to the buffet.
Stating that they left Stacia’s wallet out in the open, something the two seasoned world travelers admit was a rookie mistake (Ed. Note: Uh, thanks for the buffalo wings tips DeathByVlog, but it seems like a side of common sense is lacking).
Returning to the room, they found that the cleaners had not only asked them to wait while they finished “cleaning,” when they were finally let back in, no cleaning had been done.
Again, not reading more into it, the two say they spent the following hours in their room working, and only thought to look at their wallets when they decided to go out for food. It was then that they discovered that Stacia’s wallet was missing US$350 in Malaysian currency, leaving her a meager RM19 (US$4.50) after having allegedly snatched the large bills.
Opening his suitcase, Ryan then discovered that his orderly packing had been rummaged through, with many zippers having been left open, presumably, he says, by the cleaners who were rushing as the two returned from breakfast.
Writing on their YouTube page, they said they “never expected there to be any theft in Malaysia because everyone we have encountered so far has been incredibly friendly” (Ed. Note: These two seem nice, but really — is this the world’s more naive travel vlog?).
Enraged, the two quickly summoned hotel staff into the room to question them over the missing items, only to be faced with bald-faced denials, along with a generally unhelpful management who they say offered no other plausible explanations as to how money would have walked out of a wallet.
Deciding to file a police report, Ryan and Stacia were appalled to find that police asked them to fill out their own report, as they watched television. While we cannot comment on whether this is commonplace, Coconuts KL has accompanied several friends to police stations to fill out sundry reports, and each time the victim of the crime has been asked to type out the incident themselves. Take from that what you will.
Returning to the hotel, they claim the management then offered them an olive branch over the matter, and wanted to set up a meeting to resolve the issue the following morning. The meeting never happened, with the duo being told that the owner was not on the island anymore due to unforeseen circumstances. No contact information or emails for the management or owner were shared by the staff, and the two had no other choice other than to contact the original online booking agent, Agoda, and demand a refund.
After sending photos of the hotel’s actual likeness to compare with the photos that the site shared purporting to be of the Langkawi Seaview Hotel, the two were given a partial reimbursement, and sent on their way.
The hotel named and shamed by the duo initially released a Facebook statement, saying that this was only one side of the story, and reminding the public that the Anti-Fake News Law was still a thing. *ahem* However, they have since taken down that post.
We reached out to the hotel ourselves, but were told the hotel has no plans to comment as they are trying to sort this out behind the scenes.
There you have it, guys. All the ups and downs and dramatics of every vlog we’ve ever endured. Sucks getting (allegedly) robbed. Better to be safe than sorry, so lock your stuff up in the hotel safe, or play it like it’s 1993 and get yourself one of these:
