Hotel Guest Takes Photo at 3am, Internet Outraged by What They Find

A post showing glaring lights spilling into a hotel room in the middle of the night has gone viral on social media.

Shared by Reddit user u/cheftastic11 to the /r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, the post features an image of a dark hotel room at 3 a.m., with intense exterior lighting cutting through the edges of a heavy curtain and seeping under a nearby door.

Titled “The hotel we’re staying at has bright lights on outside all the time. It’s 3am in this pic,” the post has garnered more than 69,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments since it was shared on June 29.

The discussion highlights broader concerns about budget accommodations in the United States, particularly as the hospitality industry navigates a post-pandemic rebound.

The 2025 State of the Industry report by the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) said that staffing shortages remain a major issue, with 64.9 percent of hotels still reporting difficulty filling positions. Nonetheless, overall hotel employment is projected to surpass 2.17 million jobs in 2025, contributing over $128 billion in total wages and compensation.

Despite labor challenges, cleanliness and basic comfort remain top priorities for hotel guests. The AHLA report added that cleanliness is now a primary driver of guest satisfaction—frequently outranking price and location. That focus may help explain why a property would opt for extreme lighting measures, as safety and perceived security can influence guest perceptions of cleanliness and comfort.

‘Ridiculous’

Reactions to the viral Reddit post ranged from empathetic to curious, with many users sharing their own travel experiences or speculating about the possible reasons for the hotel room setup.

“Looks like you’re not at a hotel, you’re at a motel! Does it open to the outdoors right there?” asked u/BraveStrategy, referencing the window’s proximity to what appears to be an exterior walkway.

“By the looks of it, this is a very low cost ‘budget’ motel possibly in a high crime risk area,” wrote u/ReadRightRed99. “Probably worth spending another $30 to $50 a night for something in a better location. Not that I haven’t had issues with bright lights in the windows at good hotels too.”

U/Weak-Examination-920 simply said: “What they got there? Looks Like the brightest sunlight.”

Others suggested safety concerns might explain the bright lighting. “My guess is something bad happened and they were threatened/actually sued over the lighting being a cause of the crime,” posted u/WeHaveAllBeenThere.

U/DarkDuskBlade echoed that theory, saying: “I’m honestly wondering if they had a problem with safety in the past and that’s why they went overboard?”

Still, several commenters questioned the utility or practicality of such bright lights, citing sleep disruption and pest control issues. The door’s design also became a focus of criticism, as noted by u/timfountain4444 who commented: “That gap under the door is also ridiculous.”

“Yeah, that gap is nasty,” wrote u/spicewoman. “I rented somewhere for a short while with a door like that, every night all the bugs would come marching in like they owned the place. It was horrible.”

Another user, u/OFFIC14L, added: “Outside their window? From this it appears to be pressed up to the damn window. I want this lightbulb to annoy my wife with.”

Others saw a darker side to the situation. “That would make me look often to see if someone’s creepily standing on the other side or if a note had been slipped under,” said u/xcipher007.

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.