The Wildest Animals Tourists Have Ever Found In Their Hotel Rooms

Tourists retreat to their hotel rooms with hopes to seek tranquility from the day and its adventures. Now, picture stepping through the threshold and coming face-to-face with a wild animal. Not ideal, right? Some travelers actually pay to have this experience in resorts all around the world. Like in South Africa's Shekinah Lion & Game Lodge where you can safely sleep in the presence of a lion or a tiger, with just a transparent wall separating your room from the outside. Or in Kenya, where you can greet a majestic giraffe from your balcony at Giraffe Manor. On the other hand, unintentionally coming across wildlife in hotel rooms is not as uncommon as you may think it is.

Countless Redditors across the world, for example, have posted about discovering benign geckos in their accommodations. Undeniably, this can be a nuisance and may even leave you feeling unsettled (especially as they start making noises at night). However, there have been instances where tourists have found much larger creatures in their rooms, with reputations that are not as innocuous as the little gecko. Indeed, unpleasant experiences can be part of traveling, and sometimes, they make for amazing stories to be told for years to come. Nevertheless, encounters with unpredictable fauna are perhaps not what visitors are bargaining for. From slithering critters to marine mammals, these are the wildest animals tourists have ever found in their hotel rooms. 

Although many snake species are entirely harmless, they are not necessarily a welcome sight — especially not in a hotel room. That said, several unlucky guests over the years have unexpectedly crossed paths with these reptiles. In 2019, Melinda Major was staying at the Hampton Inn Memphis-Walnut Grove/Baptist Hospital East hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, when she was startled awake by a green garden snake. In an interview with CBS 42, she explained, "It was stretched out completely across my arm." Major explained, "I just panicked. I am terrified of snakes." Luckily, Major was not hurt and praised the hotel staff for how they handled the situation. Pest control was alerted, and in a comment on a Facebook post she made detailing the incident, Major revealed that she had been compensated.

In Doncaster, England, a guest in an unnamed hotel was confronted with a kingsnake in their room on New Year's Eve (though much like garden snakes, this species is also quite docile). The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) became involved in this incident, which transpired in January 2020. How did the kingsnake get there in the first place? Sara Jordan from the RSPCA noted (via The Mirror), "I think it's likely that the snake's owner has brought the snake to the hotel without realising, perhaps they have escaped from a vivarium and into their owner's suitcase." However, it's not just guests who have had run-ins with snakes at hotels. In 2017, the owner of a golden child reticulated python left the 5-foot serpent behind at the Residence Inn Worcester in Massachusetts. Unsuspecting cleaners later found the animal inside a drawer. 

One traveler received a shock when they entered their hotel room in Mexico and stumbled upon a coati (also known as a coatimundi). In a TikTok uploaded in June 2025, user @itsmissohio captured their reaction to seeing this small mammal lounging on their bed. Their distress is evident, and at one point, they can be heard saying, "This is real" and "What do I do?" Fortunately for @itsmissohio, the coati showed itself out as if nothing had happened. Coatis are raccoon-like creatures (they are related) that are highly intelligent and are known for their fondness for food. 

It's unclear where in Mexico this video was filmed, but coatis are especially prevalent in the Riviera Maya region, a destination where you can walk on the whitest sand in the world. There are several videos on YouTube showing these animals running amok at resorts. In one video, an individual claims that the coati opened their sliding door and made a mess in their room. Similarly, a Tripadvisor review written for Grand Riviera Princess, an all-inclusive resort in the region, called them an "absolute nuisance."

The reviewer also warned, "If you leave the door open, they get into your room, around the pool they put their snout into your drinks and they go into your bags looking for food." Like any other wild animal, coatis, which also inhabit Arizona, Central America (including Costa Rica), and South America, can be aggressive and attack. Try your best to maintain a safe distance from them. A word of advice? Don't try to get in between them and a snack.

Alligators are synonymous with the South, where you'll find some of the most alligator and crocodile-infested waters across the U.S. These predators are often feared and for good reason: they do bite and they do kill. Thus, you can only imagine how one tourist must have felt when they saw one of these reptiles outside their hotel room at the Budget Host Alexandria in Virginia in June 2025. This individual did call emergency services, and no one was harmed in the ordeal. As it turned out, the alligator, whose name was later revealed to be Toby, did have an owner. They were both asked to leave. 

In March 2025, an individual only identified as Gary, the manager of the Pine River Motel in Cheboygan, Michigan, entered a room that had been recently occupied. There, he found a 3-foot alligator. Gary was understandably shocked and contacted authorities, who were as perplexed as he was. It didn't take long to put the story together; the small alligator, named Wally, belonged to the unnamed man who had previously stayed in the room.

The prior guest believed he had somehow lost the reptile, which was being showcased at local schools, and left the motel. Fortunately, the owner and the alligator were promptly reunited. Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Gary detailed the incident, saying, "He was a real friendly gator, so I didn't feel real scared. He let the police officers hold him and all that, I mean, it was a real friendly alligator."

Seals are a regular sight on the coast. These mammals are adorable, but the best thing to do if a seal comes near you is to keep your distance and not touch them. In fact, you are prohibited from doing so in the U.S. and many other countries around the world, like the Netherlands. Not only for your safety (they can spread diseases and infections), but also for theirs. With that in mind, an individual found themselves in an unusual situation in the Netherlands when a grey seal broke into their hotel room for a snooze. This incident occurred in Vlissingen, a Dutch coastal town located about an hour away from Antwerp, Belgium, in early 2025.

Security footage (via The Dodo) shows the aquatic creature galumphing its way across the sand to the room at Pier 7, a hotel situated mere feet away from the shore. "He brought a whole mountain of sand into the room, but other than that, there was no damage," said a Pier 7 spokesperson to The Dodo. The publication states that the trespasser entered the premises through an open door. At the time of this incident, the woman staying in the room was out with her dog, who was none too happy to see the marine mammal when they returned. Rather than disturbing the sleepy seal and attempting to get it outside on her own, animal rescuers were called. Ultimately, they were able to return the seal to the beach and water where it belongs.