Couple arrives at their romantic Istanbul Airbnb only to find a bizarre note taped to the bed proving some hosts go too far

A traveler visiting Istanbul with his wife discovered an incredibly restrictive note taped directly to their Airbnb bed, proving that some hosts take house rules way too far. The couple, who posted the bizarre discovery to Reddit, found the note right at the foot of their otherwise plain, full-sized bed.

The paper sign was short and sweet, declaring, “Use only to sleep / no other activities.” That’s a pretty direct mandate! The traveler, u/Responsible-Lack-285, jokingly summed up his situation by writing, “Came here with my wife. Oh well.”

As if the bed rule wasn’t enough, the traveler shared a photo demonstrating that the intense micromanagement wasn’t limited to the mattress. The TV remote also sported a tiny label restricting its use to the bare minimum and a smaller notice instructed guests to “Use only to turn the TV on/off.”

This person is one of the reasons Airbnb hosts get hate

Seriously, you can’t even change the channel? That’s ridiculous, and that usage is just part of the cost that you have to take if you’re going to rent your place out. However, it turns out there’s a specific reason for this level of control, and it’s not just because of guests that ruin everything.

The Redditor later explained that the host implemented these rules because the neighbors are “very sensitive to noise.” This context makes the bed rule slightly more understandable, but it still doesn’t excuse restricting the TV volume or forbidding guests from using the remote’s channel buttons. It sounds like the host is trying to prevent any noise from carrying through the walls, whether it’s the television or the guests themselves.

That’s too bad, to be fair. You shouldn’t be hosting if you have a situation that prevents regular activities from happening. That’s not on the guest, it’s a host going too far. The post quickly became joke fodder online, reminding many commenters of fictional properties where characters encounter similarly absurd levels of restriction.

Others immediately expressed that they would have ignored the sign by any means necessary. For instance, one user, u/Flat-Structure-7472, took inspiration from a classic meme, writing, “This sign can’t tell me what to do, because I can’t read.”

Despite the silliness of finding notes with such strict rules, the original traveler made sure to clarify that this weird incident shouldn’t ruin anyone’s perception of the location. He emphasized that the sticker situation is isolated and shouldn’t reflect poorly on the city itself.

The traveler said, “If I had one message is that the sticker situation shouldn’t reflect on anyone’s perception of Istanbul.” He stressed that Istanbul is a “lovely city with great people and we feel very welcome here,” suggesting the issue is likely just a “neighbor situation that can happen anywhere.” It’s a great reminder that while services like Airbnb offer unique travel experiences, you never know what kind of local dynamics you’re walking into until you see the rules taped to the furniture.