Make it a month without leaving a luxury resort, walk away a millionaire — that’s the promise popping up on social media.
If the deal sounds too good to be true, it’s because it is.
Fake “stay-and-win” challenge videos are racking up views on TikTok and Instagram, and the hotels named in them are fielding the fallout. Ambiente Sedona’s front desk received four calls in one weekend, plus an email from a South Korean travel agent with “several” U.S. clients ready to enroll.
The owner told Skift she continues find new fake challenge videos but has struggled to get the accounts taken down.
Skift found three dozen TikTok accounts posting similar videos promising thousands, if not millions, of dollars for an extended stay at spots like Disney World’s Cinderella Castle or The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. A Northeastern University assistant professor said creators are likely “attention farming” to build up enough engagement to sell their accounts.
The takeaway for operators: It’s worth searching your property’s name on social media. Your guests already are.
SPONSORED · THE BICESTER COLLECTION
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A chef needs someone to tell them the dish is delicious and nobody is going to buy it.
In this clip from the Skift Travel Podcast, Andrew Zimmern makes the case that every human being in every field needs an editor, someone to co-regulate with before you operationalize, whether you are running a restaurant, building a travel brand, or just trying to make better decisions. The human ego is designed to make internal decisions and that is exactly the problem.
