Case File 2026-29: The Welcome Book Had a Page About Us
Read the original story More cases by leobro
The rental's guestbook was full of chatty entries from past visitors. On the last used page, in the host's handwriting, dated before our arrival, was a detailed paragraph about my partner and me — our jobs, our route, our habits — signed 'looking forward to hosting you.'
The jury
When this case file was opened: 33 True / 11 Fake / 18 Not sure (62 verdicts).
The jury today: 1 True / 0 Fake / 0 Not sure (1 verdicts).
Epilogue by leobro — what happened next
A few weeks after I posted, the platform finally stopped sending me the bright little “we value your concern” messages and assigned an actual person to it. I think the word “dossier” in my complaint helped, honestly. That, and the photos. For the person who asked if I was sure: yes. I had three pictures of the page, one close enough to show the date and our first names, and one wider shot showing it was in the guestbook on the coffee table, not some separate note I’d misunderstood.
The host did not deny writing it. That was the part that made my stomach drop all over again, because I had been half-prepared for him to say it was a prank, or an old note, or anything that made me feel silly. Instead he said it was “guest research” and “part of creating a tailored stay.” He said he looked up all guests if he could, mostly to make better recommendations. Jobs from public work profiles. My partner’s running from a charity race page and a running app profile he had forgotten was visible. The coffee thing, apparently, came from a photo of our kitchen on my old account, where a bag of beans was sitting by the kettle. I remember posting that photo because the cat had his paw in the sugar bowl. I did not remember the coffee.
The “coming up from the coast” bit was apparently because my profile had our general area on it, and he knew most Friday guests arrived after work. So yes, the commenters who said it was possible were right. It was not magic. It was worse in a boring way.
The listing was taken down for a short while. We got a refund after a lot of pushing, though the message carefully avoided saying he had done anything wrong. Later, a friend sent me the listing again under a slightly different host name, same kitchen tiles, same blue sofa. I don’t know if it was him, his partner, or just the property manager shuffling things around. That part never got answered.
One thing still bothers me. In the photo of the page, there was a faint line pressed into the paper below his writing, like something had been written on the next page and torn out. I didn’t notice it at the time. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was another guest getting their little welcome story before we did. I wish I had taken the book with me, which is ridiculous and also exactly how I feel.
The host did not deny writing it. That was the part that made my stomach drop all over again, because I had been half-prepared for him to say it was a prank, or an old note, or anything that made me feel silly. Instead he said it was “guest research” and “part of creating a tailored stay.” He said he looked up all guests if he could, mostly to make better recommendations. Jobs from public work profiles. My partner’s running from a charity race page and a running app profile he had forgotten was visible. The coffee thing, apparently, came from a photo of our kitchen on my old account, where a bag of beans was sitting by the kettle. I remember posting that photo because the cat had his paw in the sugar bowl. I did not remember the coffee.
The “coming up from the coast” bit was apparently because my profile had our general area on it, and he knew most Friday guests arrived after work. So yes, the commenters who said it was possible were right. It was not magic. It was worse in a boring way.
The listing was taken down for a short while. We got a refund after a lot of pushing, though the message carefully avoided saying he had done anything wrong. Later, a friend sent me the listing again under a slightly different host name, same kitchen tiles, same blue sofa. I don’t know if it was him, his partner, or just the property manager shuffling things around. That part never got answered.
One thing still bothers me. In the photo of the page, there was a faint line pressed into the paper below his writing, like something had been written on the next page and torn out. I didn’t notice it at the time. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was another guest getting their little welcome story before we did. I wish I had taken the book with me, which is ridiculous and also exactly how I feel.