My holiday home was trashed when gender reveal party for 8 ‘went viral' & 200 guests turned up… it was out of control

Scottish Sun

6 hours ago

The scenes were described as something out of 'Project X'
RENT RAMPAGE My holiday home was trashed when gender reveal party for 8 'went viral' & 200 guests turned up… it was out of control
AN Airbnb host was left fuming after a gender reveal party went viral and his holiday home ending up being trashed.
The party descended into 'absolute chaos' and 'mayhem' as up to 200 youngsters showed up despite an initial booking of eight.
8
Hundreds of revellers 'hijacked' a luxury house often hired by Airbnb users with just eight on the booking
Credit: SWNS
8
Crowds gather on cul-de-sac in Norden, Greater Manchester in June after a gender reveal party descended into chaos
Credit: SWNS
8
Matt Genesis, 33, is a director of the company which owns the property and was shocked at the scenes
Credit: SWNS
Police were called to a usually quiet cul-de-sac in the Norden area of Rochdale, Manchester, to break up the massive crowd last Friday.
Residents of Falcon Close said crowds of youngsters gathered on the street, and it took officers in Tactical Aid Unit vans around two hours to clear them out.
One shocking image showed the scale of the gathering, amid speculation that word of the party spread on social media.
More than 150 people had filled the street and parked over locals' driveways with "minibus after minibus" arriving every 15 minutes.
Read More in UK News
'WORST OF HUMANITY' I stared into eyes of 7/7 bomber & saw moment he blew himself up
Now, Airbnb host Matt Genesis has claimed that he was tricked after agreeing to rent his home out to a group of eight people who booked it via Instagram for a gender reveal.
But the rental turned into a 'Project X' style disaster with hundreds of party-goers flooding to the venue causing chaos and £2,000 worth of damage.
The 33-year-old was alerted to the chaos at his £635,000 home by frightened neighbours on June 25.
Mr Genesis said: "Whilst we were there, minibus after minibus was turning up - I'd say one every 15 minutes, a minibus full of six to eight people walking in.
"It was out of control - police turned up. We called them, obviously neighbours had called them. It was out of our control.
"Even the guy who booked it, it was out of his control on his behalf - he said he didn't expect anywhere near the amount of people, but it's been passed around group and groups."
My gender reveal was totally ruined by the Card Factory - I found out it the worst way ever we were having a boy and left disappointed
He said the operation had been "calculated" - with guests disabling the home's security systems.
Mr Genesis tried to log-in into the property's external security cameras only to discover they had been disconnected at the £450 a night rental.
He added: "It was very much "Project X".'
The disaster caused thousands of pounds worth of damage, with furniture broken and lamps seen smashed on the floor.
The property, which previously underwent a £200,000 renovation and includes a hot tub and pool tables, took three staff 12 hours to clean following the party.
But despite the major damage, Mr Genesis says that the only money received in return is the £450 per night charge, plus a £250 damage deposit.
The property is regularly rented out via Airbnb but on this occasion was booked via Instagram.
8
The luxury guest house costs £450 a night
Credit: SWNS
8
Crowds gather on cul-de-sac in Norden with neighbours shocked
Credit: SWNS
8
A broken lamp left at the Airbnb
Credit: SWNS
Mr Genesis said: "It was so structured, before we emptied the house out the people who were there said "where do we go?".
"It hit us - we seem like the bad guys, but at the same time it did ultimately hit us as well in the pocket."
Neighbours peering through their windows at the time were stunned to see the commotion.
Locals in the quiet village described an "out of control" night.
"They looked in their 20s to me," one resident of Falcon Close said previously.
He added: "It was their presence that became quite threatening really.
"It was absolute mayhem."
"It was very, very scary when I looked out of the window last night," another local said the morning after the chaos.
8
Police arrived and shut down the chaotic affair
Credit: SWNS