Video showing an abandoned hotel trashed by vandals has gone viral on social media, with viewers venting about “awful” people who “destroy” private property.
The clip was captured last month by a Detroit-based “urban explorer” known only as Bobby, who posts to TikTok under the handle @tru_explores.
Bobby didn’t disclose the name of the hotel, which is located in Michigan, but told viewers it closed down during the COVID pandemic in 2020.
He first visited the abandoned building two years ago, saying it had been left in pristine condition, with furniture still in the lobby and full bottles of liquor placed on the bar.
However, Bobby was left horrified when he returned to the former hotel last month, capturing footage of what he found,
The video shows the lobby strewn with trash and filled with piles of destroyed furniture, which had presumably been thrown from hotel rooms above.
Graffiti also covered the walls of the building and windows had been smashed. Meanwhile, the empty pool was left growing mounds of mold.
Bobby recently told NeedToKnow.co.uk: “I think the hotel was already struggling with getting customers and the pandemic completely put them out of business.”
“I believe whoever owned this hotel also owned many other properties and just left it to be forgotten,” he added. “They didn’t see value in selling everything and trying to sell the building.”
Bobby explained that the place “was one of the freshest abandoned” places he has ever explored.
However, he described the scene as “apocalyptic” when he returned last month.
“It’s sad because real urban explorers like myself want to preserve the places, not destroy them,” he stated.
Viewers were similarly shocked by how the hotel had been destroyed, sharing their thoughts beneath the viral video.
“I don’t know why people destroy these beautiful abandoned places,” one person mournfully wrote.
“People can’t leave things alone. It’s sad,” a second stated.
Another wrote: “It’s just weird that some people take their precious time from their day to destroy these beautiful abandoned places.”
An additional viewer declared: It’s awful what people do to these places. That’s why when I find something, I only tell close friends who I would normally bring with me.”
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
