Priya Pal, who lives in a rented apartment, shared a now-viral video showing herself entering a hotel room and visibly relaxing in the cool air.Fed up with the sweltering heat in Bengaluru, a woman chose an unconventional way to cool off: by booking a hotel room just for the air conditioning. But what seemed like a practical workaround quickly became a topic of online debate.Priya Pal, who lives in a rented apartment, shared a now-viral video showing herself entering a hotel room and visibly relaxing in the cool air. “We booked a hotel next to our house only for this in Bangalore,” she said, ending the clip with a shot of the AC unit.The video sparked a wave of reactions, with several users questioning her decision.Watch the video: View this post on Instagram A post shared by PRIYA PAL曆 Content Creator (@priyaa.pall) “So, you booked a hotel room with AC but cannot afford to buy a new AC? Why is that?” one person asked. Priya responded by explaining the situation: “because initially we thought it will rain soon but it didn’t we looked for cooler/ AC but everything is unavailable and will take 7 days to get delivered. Renting is also unavailable in my area currently due to high demand. So we booked a cooler somehow online and decided to spend sunday in hotel netflix and chill instead of going out and eat. Looks like a good decision to me.”Another commenter wrote, “Buying or renting an AC would be much better. How many days you will stay in a hotel. Bad financial decision.”Addressing the criticism more broadly, Priya clarified that the hotel stay was never meant to be a long-term fix. “Relax. It was booked for just one day because, as mentioned in many comments, Saturday was extremely hot for us, and we started falling sick. We booked a cooler, but it is taking a day or two to get delivered. So, we booked a room instead of going to a fancy restaurant and having expensive coffee. Also, it’s a Sunday, so no office,” she said.Some users stepped in to defend her, highlighting the challenges of living in a rented space. Instagram user Ishita Khemaria pointed out that installing an AC isn’t always straightforward for tenants. “People in the comments have 10 pieces of advice to give. They obviously cannot just buy an AC as tenants; the owner should have provided one. If they buy, they need the owner’s permission to drill a hole for a split AC. If they shift, it’s just an extra expense of moving the AC. For a day, a hotel room is a better option,” she wrote.Story continues below this adNot everyone was critical. Many found the idea relatable, especially given the rising temperatures and frequent power issues in the city.One user shared, “In my brief stint of about two years in Bangalore, the power cuts were rampant so I used to go home from work, freshen up and then go back to office to make use of the sleeping pods in our ‘very cool startup’ to Netflix and chill because free ac and WiFi……legit made friends with all of the security guards so they would leave the floor unlocked all night for me.”Others chimed in with their own coping mechanisms. “I went to watch movies and window shopping,” one person wrote, while another summed it up as, “Modern problems require modern solutions.”Bengaluru weatherThe backdrop to the viral moment is an ongoing heat spell across Karnataka. Several regions have been recording unusually high temperatures, with Bengaluru also seeing above-normal readings. Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that maximum temperatures in the city recently ranged around 36–37°C, about 2 to 2.6 degrees above the usual levels for this time of year.Story continues below this adDisclaimer: This story highlights personal experiences with extreme weather conditions and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only; the individual choices described do not constitute financial or lifestyle advice. For persistent health concerns related to heat or high temperatures, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.