A host on rental website Airbnb was left devastated after “hundreds of drug-taking ravers” trashed her multi-million pound home.
Elizabeth Sterling, 60, put her £2.5m apartment on the website and was shocked when party-goers turned up and refused to leave.
It was only after police arrived at the address in Kensington, west London, the group was forced to leave.
Ms Sterling’s address is near former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman‘s restaurant Sticky Fingers, in an area known for its upmarket clientele.
Neighbours said they were surprised when they saw scores of “smartly dressed” revellers smoking and drinking from bottles of wine in the street.
The party went on throughout the night and into the next morning, with one resident claiming they “had to stay awake to keep an eye out”.
He said: “I was woken by what sounded like fighting.
“When I looked out I could see the street full of people shouting and smoking.
“They weren’t all riff-raff though, some were smartly-dressed. Some of them stood in the road drinking bottles of wine.”
The property appears to have been removed from Airbnb’s listings, but similar houses in the immediate area are available for £395 per night.
Police confirmed officers were called to the address in the early hours of Sunday 20 January, following reports of a disturbance.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “Police were called at 1.30am on Sunday 20 January to reports of a disturbance involving a large number of people at a flat in Phillimore Gardens.
“Officers attended and dispersed those in attendance. No offences were alleged or committed and no arrests were made.”
Airbnb denounced the behaviour of the guests and claimed all hosts are covered by a “guarantee” of up to £758,000 in damages.
A spokesperson for the firm said: “We have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour, have suspended the guest from our platform while we investigate and are providing the host with our full support under our Host Guarantee.
“The safety of our community is our priority and, with two million guests checking into an Airbnb on any given night, negative experiences are extremely rare.”
She added: “While it’s impossible to eliminate all risk, our team works hard to constantly strengthen defences on our platform and stay ahead of bad actors.
“All hosts on Airbnb are covered by our Host Guarantee, which covers listings for up to $1,000,000 in damage – it’s free for all hosts and every single booking.”
