A family says a visit to a Tennessee motel turned into a confrontation with staff after they accidentally walked toward a disused pool area. The incident was captured in a TikTok video that has sparked debate online.
The woman filming the video stated that her aunt had rented a room at the Southwood Inn in Selmer, Tennessee, and invited the family, including her infant grandson, to go swimming. She explained that she remembered the pool being located behind the building, up a long wooden walkway.
In the video, she said that upon walking up the steps, she and her family realized the area appeared overgrown and unused. “We realized what we did. That’s why we turned around. We’re coming back down,” she recounted saying to a man who confronted them.
The video shows a heated exchange in the parking lot between the woman filming and a man in a blue polo shirt. The woman insisted, “That was a complete misunderstanding that we went up there.” The man responded, “Yeah, you were yelling at them.” She denied this, saying, “No, I was not. I never spoke to them.”
As the argument continued, the woman filming urged her companions, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” and “Get in the car!” The man in blue was seen putting a phone to his ear. The woman alleged, “No, no, he tried to put his hands on James,” while the man pointed and said, “Because he’s trying to take pictures of it.”
Staff member allegedly demanded guest information and threatened removal
After the initial confrontation, the woman filming explained the sequence of events from inside her car. She said the man asked for her room number, which she gave as 124, and then questioned her brother.
She stated she sent her aunt, referred to as Cat, to speak with the man to resolve the issue. While her aunt was inside the office, the woman filming said she overheard the man make a statement about removing her.
“I heard him say that, well, they probably just need to leave, especially her. She’s I’m gonna be walking her off the premises,” the woman recounted in the video. She then confronted him, saying, “Wait, Walker, what are you talking about? I haven’t did nothing.”
At this point, she said she noticed another woman in the office. “I realized there’s a woman stand by— standing behind me with blood coming out of her nose,” she stated. The woman alleged the man accused her of yelling at this other woman, a claim she vehemently denied.
“I was like, what? I never even spoke to this woman. This is the first time I’ve seen her walking in here,” she said in the video. The man then escalated, telling her, “Oh, you’re yelling. You don’t need to be yelling in my office.”
The woman said she decided to leave, telling her family, “Hold up. Come on, James. Come on, Caleb. Let’s get out of here.” She claimed the man then started yelling at her son, who yelled back.
The family alleges physical contact and an attempt to document their license plate
As the family attempted to leave, the situation reportedly intensified. The woman claimed the man “tried to hit my brother.” She said that as she was preparing to drive away, the man and the other woman walked behind her car.
“They’re gonna walk behind my car and stand behind my car when I’m trying to leave. And then my brother’s— he’s trying to take a picture of my tag number,” she stated. She alleged the man “jumps up and nudges my brother while my brother— that’s when I started recording.” The attempt to document the family’s license plate reflects a broader pattern of confrontations captured on video, like a Georgia man shaming Buc-ee’s customers at the pumps.
The video’s opening footage shows the confrontation in the parking lot that followed. The woman concluded her narration by expressing her outrage over the experience. “This is at Southwood Inn in Selmer. And then they’re calling the law. Calling the law on what?” she asked.
“What did we do by accidentally go to the wrong pool?” she continued. She also referenced the other woman present, saying, “And then you’ve got your Little Steph here with her damn nose bleeding saying that I was yelling at her. What? That is insane.”
The video was posted with a caption that read, “This is at southwood in in selmer TN! I can’t believe we was insulted the way we was as guests!!!” The Southwood Inn has not publicly commented on the video as of the time of reporting.
The incident has generated discussion in the comment section of the video. One user wrote, “You always have to be a guest to use the hotel pools. I’ve never been to a hotel that allowed visitors to use the pool.” Another commented, “I can’t believe she wasn’t yelling at anyone because she’s kinda yelling in the video.”
A different user offered a personal connection, stating, “my daughter and son-in-law stayed their once and they said they were rude people, who ever owns that place they might wanna get new workers.” Another comment read, “You ain’t suppose to rent a room and bring all your family to free swim wth??? I love that place will use again.”
