We’re well-travelled U.S. tourists and thought we’d seen it all… but wait until you see the pictures of what we found in our Airbnb when we returned after a quiet Sydney dinner

A glamorous couple were shocked to discover that the Airbnb apartment they were staying in was being used to host a sexy party while they were out for dinner.

Thousands of dollars’ worth of personal items were stolen or contaminated, leading to a six-month battle for compensation with the rental giant.

Jared Manheim and his partner Danielle, who both run a hobby Instagram travel page where they showcase luxury hotels and designer outfits to their 290,000 followers, traveled to Sydney in early March.

Despite limited options during the month-long Mardi Gras festival, they managed to secure a townhouse in the exclusive inner-city suburb of Paddington.

The property, which was listed under two different listings on Airbnb, was divided into a ‘commercial’ space at the front, previously a glass-fronted café, and a ‘residential space’ at the back.

Their host told them that there would be a small gathering of “advanced people” in the commercial area on Saturday evening – the night after they arrived – and she asked if they could scare themselves until it was over around 11:30 p.m., prompting to the couple’s concerns.

Jared and Danielle were even more alarmed when they checked in and discovered that there were no lockable doors separating the commercial space from the rooms where they would leave their belongings.

“I said to the host, ‘This is pretty crazy, it’s just a small residential area, basically an upstairs dormitory,’” Jared told Daily Mail Australia.

“She brushed it off and told us she had a sophisticated meeting the next day. We told her we were worried about what might happen because it was completely open.”

The couple, who both work full-time in finance and real estate respectively, considered pulling out and booking a hotel, but ultimately decided to stay due to the limited options available.

“We ended up barricading the door to the residential area, which no one was allowed to access before leaving for the evening,” Jared said.

‘But at the end of the evening we came back and the place was destroyed.

‘It was clear there had been a sex party: there were abandoned handcuffs, lacy panties and every inch of every surface was sticky from spilled drinks.

‘When we got upstairs, we realized they had broken into our bedroom, ransacked our clothes, stolen expensive dresses and other things.

“My girlfriend’s eye mask was covered in some kind of bodily fluid.”

They also found drops of blood in the bathroom of their bedroom and vomit in another toilet.

The items they stole include a $10,000 wedding dress, a $15,000 Chanel bag, a $2,500 pair of Invisalign dental braces and a $750 silver chain.

The shocked couple contacted the police and the host to demand a refund for the following night, which was reluctantly granted, before leaving the next morning.

But their troubles were just beginning.

“We’ve been hosts on Airbnb and we’ve had issues in the past, like things getting damaged, but we always went through due diligence and got paid out for what was rightfully owed,” says Jared.

But after their claim for damages and stolen items was transferred to a third-party insurance platform, they heard nothing for a month.

That was until Jared realized that their Airbnb account had been mysteriously deactivated.

It is understood that the couple’s stay on Saturday took place via an off-platform arrangement between them and the host, meaning Airbnb will not be liable for any losses or damages as it was not booked through their system.

It is also believed that their account was deleted in connection with an incident related to a separate booking, although it is unclear exactly what happened.

The couple, who live in Kensington, London when not travelling, believe the error may have resulted from them mistakenly sending a ‘host’ form instead of a ‘guest’ form to check in to fill.

“But with Airbnb, customer support now seems to be outsourced to people in the Philippines or India,” says Jared.

‘I don’t want to offend them, but nothing really happens anymore. You call, they make a note, nothing happens. It’s a robot.’

Jared has been calling or emailing every few days for the past few months to try to get an answer to their compensation claim.

But every time he gets some variation of the same maddeningly useless response that the review is “complete.”

“Our reservation included a fee to Airbnb which covers insurance. Theoretically, we put it into the insurance program and they won’t even give us the satisfaction or the opportunity to present our case,” Jared said.

‘If we were to present our case and the liability insurer decided not to be on our side, that would be different. But we haven’t even had a chance to provide any evidence.”

In addition to photos, videos and screenshots, the couple have also filed a report with NSW Police.

“Police are aware of the incident and are currently investigating,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.

The listing, which was not removed by Airbnb after the incident, was subsequently removed by the host.

Jared added, “Airbnb is a publicly traded company and has shareholders they are accountable to. I think it’s disgusting.’

Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb’s Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand, said: ‘Our team is focused on promoting positive experiences for guests, hosts and the wider community.

‘Airbnb is built on trust. Provided that guests stay, pay, and interact only with Airbnb, they will use our secure processes, refunds, and support policies.

“In general, hosts who violate our Off-Platform Policy may be suspended or removed from our platform.”