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AirBNB would never be able to survive in countries with a well-run "business hotel" culture. I frequently travel to Japan and usually stay at a business hotel c

by venus 13y ago

AirBNB would never be able to survive in countries with a well-run "business hotel" culture. I frequently travel to Japan and usually stay at a business hotel chain like Dormy Inn or Richmond - the price is rarely above $80/night and the rooms are perfectly fine. No Sofitel, sure, but about Ibis level. And Dormy Inn has an onsen in every hotel! If a decent hotel room is ~$80 then I wouldn't even think of using AirBNB and I doubt I'm alone. I have no idea why hotels in other countries are so damn expensive.

jpatokal 13y ago
That's all well and good if you're a solo business traveler happy to sleep in a cubicle. But if you've got the wife and kids, one of whom's a toddler who needs some space to run around and the other a baby just starting his solids so you need to boil and mash veggies, I can tell you from personal experience it's damned hard to find a decent place to stay. Short-stay apartments haven't really caught on in Japan: your choice is basically either tiny business hotels, or renting an apartment ("weekly mansion") for a month-plus. Unfortunately Airbnb's still quite limited in Tokyo (very few Japanese people seem to know about it), but I'd go for one in a heartbeat if the location was decent.
- robin_reala 13y ago
  I rented a nice apartment for a week in Shibuya the last time I was there for 2/3rds the price of the hotels we’d been staying in. They do exist, even if the range of options is a little limited.
- snogglethorpe 13y ago
  Business hotels are not "cubicles" in most cases, they're perfectly adequate for 95% of travelers, and there's a wide range of size/quality/budget tradeoffs. Sure if you're a traveling circus and need room to set up your trapeze, then maybe you need more room—but so what? In that case, you pay a bit more and get a somewhat larger room. Options exist, even for odd cases like yours. The cool thing in places like Japan is that you actually have a choice whereas in places like NYC, you have far less. For that reason I dread visiting the states anytime I don't have a friend I can stay with or something. The U.S., especially, could really do with a big shakeup of its dysfunctional hotel culture. And its dysfunctional transportation culture. And ... well you get the idea...
  - jpatokal 13y ago
    My "odd case", also known as family travel (adults travelling with children), represents 30% of all travel worldwide. Did I mention I used to work for Lonely Planet? Regarding my apparently plentiful options, can you point me to a business hotel near Tokyo Station which has rooms for four people at a price that's a "bit" more than the standard under-Y10k business hotel cubicle? Go ahead, I'm waiting. And Airbnb seems to be doing a pretty good job of shaking up that dysfunctional hotel culture...
    - venus 13y ago
      > 30% of all travel worldwide Lonely Planet or not, that is very hard to believe. I know anecdotes != data but this is so different from my normal experience that I just can't accept it. I do not think I have ever been on a plane where 30% of pax are vacationing families. Business travel outweighs vacations 10 to 1, or it feels like it. Anyway, of course you're not going to get a family-sized suite for 1万円 at a proper hotel. You wouldn't get an apartment, either. I am not sure what you are expecting here. A four-person suite is going to cost way more no matter how you cut it. And if you claim four-person suites make up 30% of hotel bookings, then you are hallucinating. I hadn't really perceived that AirBNB was evolving into a short-term apartment rental system, but if that works for you, great! My point was simply that, since I don't have all these dependents, I would never think of using it in a country with good business hotels.
      - dagw 13y ago
        I do not think I have ever been on a plane where 30% of pax are vacationing families I don't think I have either, but I have been on flights where 95+% where vacationing families, so I wouldn't be surprised if it balances out. Most routes are either business focused or vacation focused, so depending on what routes you travel you probably won't be sharing your flight with many from the other group.

by venus 13y ago

jpatokal 13y ago

That's all well and good if you're a solo business traveler happy to sleep in a cubicle. But if you've got the wife and kids, one of whom's a toddler who needs some space to run around and the other a baby just starting his solids so you need to boil and mash veggies, I can tell you from personal experience it's damned hard to find a decent place to stay. Short-stay apartments haven't really caught on in Japan: your choice is basically either tiny business hotels, or renting an apartment ("weekly mansion") for a month-plus. Unfortunately Airbnb's still quite limited in Tokyo (very few Japanese people seem to know about it), but I'd go for one in a heartbeat if the location was decent.

robin_reala 13y ago
I rented a nice apartment for a week in Shibuya the last time I was there for 2/3rds the price of the hotels we’d been staying in. They do exist, even if the range of options is a little limited.
snogglethorpe 13y ago
Business hotels are not "cubicles" in most cases, they're perfectly adequate for 95% of travelers, and there's a wide range of size/quality/budget tradeoffs. Sure if you're a traveling circus and need room to set up your trapeze, then maybe you need more room—but so what? In that case, you pay a bit more and get a somewhat larger room. Options exist, even for odd cases like yours. The cool thing in places like Japan is that you actually have a choice whereas in places like NYC, you have far less. For that reason I dread visiting the states anytime I don't have a friend I can stay with or something. The U.S., especially, could really do with a big shakeup of its dysfunctional hotel culture. And its dysfunctional transportation culture. And ... well you get the idea...
- jpatokal 13y ago
  My "odd case", also known as family travel (adults travelling with children), represents 30% of all travel worldwide. Did I mention I used to work for Lonely Planet? Regarding my apparently plentiful options, can you point me to a business hotel near Tokyo Station which has rooms for four people at a price that's a "bit" more than the standard under-Y10k business hotel cubicle? Go ahead, I'm waiting. And Airbnb seems to be doing a pretty good job of shaking up that dysfunctional hotel culture...
  - venus 13y ago
    > 30% of all travel worldwide Lonely Planet or not, that is very hard to believe. I know anecdotes != data but this is so different from my normal experience that I just can't accept it. I do not think I have ever been on a plane where 30% of pax are vacationing families. Business travel outweighs vacations 10 to 1, or it feels like it. Anyway, of course you're not going to get a family-sized suite for 1万円 at a proper hotel. You wouldn't get an apartment, either. I am not sure what you are expecting here. A four-person suite is going to cost way more no matter how you cut it. And if you claim four-person suites make up 30% of hotel bookings, then you are hallucinating. I hadn't really perceived that AirBNB was evolving into a short-term apartment rental system, but if that works for you, great! My point was simply that, since I don't have all these dependents, I would never think of using it in a country with good business hotels.
    - dagw 13y ago
      I do not think I have ever been on a plane where 30% of pax are vacationing families I don't think I have either, but I have been on flights where 95+% where vacationing families, so I wouldn't be surprised if it balances out. Most routes are either business focused or vacation focused, so depending on what routes you travel you probably won't be sharing your flight with many from the other group.