The moment shocked Airbnb guests discover camera hidden in their room by host

A couple were shocked to discover a hidden camera disguised as a smoke detector during their stay in an Airbnb home.

Derek Starnes and his wife were visiting Longboat Key in Florida and rented a home from Wayne Natt, 56.

Starnes, from Indiana in the US, said he noticed a small, black hole on the side of a smoke detector in the room.

The couple, who were "distressed by the situation", were quick to take it down to get a better look and realised it was actually a camera recording onto an SD card, pointing right at the couple's bed.

Police were called and arrested homeowner Natt who has since been charged with one count of video voyeurism.

Longboat Key Police Lt. Robert Bourque told American broadcaster WFLA they found a "couple of different people" on the SD card.

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“We seized a lot of computer storage data devices, hard drives, computers, laptops SD cards anything that would store data,” Lt. Bob Bourque said.

“We don’t know if there are local victims, someone who may have been dating him or a companion that doesn't realise they are being videotaped, and then we have the other side of who he rented to through Airbnb.”

Camera used to film sex parties: host

It's understood Natt told police that the camera was used to record sex parties he hosted at the home, according to Lt. Bourque.

It's believed everyone gave Natt consent to be filmed.

An Airbnb spokesperson told WFTS in a statement the company was "outraged".

“As soon as we were made aware, we permanently banned this individual from our community and fully supported the affected guests," the spokesperson said.

"Our team has reached out to local law enforcement to aid them with their investigation of the egregious offence and we hope justice is served."