Room by hour: The latest trend in hospitality
Charging customers for an entire day or on a per night basis has always been the thumb rule for hotels across the globe. But this is all set to change with the new concept of renting rooms on an hourly basis, which is nowadays being offered by quite a few start-ups. So let us take a detailed look at the room by hour concept.
What exactly is ‘room by hour’?
As simple as the name suggests, ‘room by hour’ means renting hotels rooms on a per hour basis. That means, you book a room for say, 3 hours, 6 hours or 12 hours instead of one full day! And when you’re staying for a few hours, why pay for the entire day? This concept serves your purpose and is even lighter on your pocket! You check in, get your nap and check out when your hours are over.
Who would be benefited?
Travelers on the go, who need to stop by for a while before catching their next flight or bikers who may look for a bed to spend the night.
Why the need?
Customers are charged for the entire day and they end up paying a hefty amount even if they use the room for say, 4 hours! That does burn a deep hole in your pocket! These are the times we wished we had an option to pay on an hourly basis. Well, with this room by hour concept, this has just come true. It not only benefits customers, but is also highly beneficial to the hotel chains. They are now strategically renting out rooms by hours in those hours of the day when most of the rooms are generally unoccupied.
Where to avail?
Quite a few start-ups these days are into tie-ups with hotels to let the customers avail this facility. Mistay, Frotels, 9to5.com are a few start-ups that provide this hourly-stay facility to their clients. Brevistay is a startup that even allows early morning 6-am check ins!
How popular is this new trend?
Surveys have revealed that this trend is very likely to catch up in a few years to come. For for hotels located near popular pilgrimage sites, airports, railway stations and hospitals, this is quite a lucrative option. Even a lot of high profile star rated hotel chains such as Hyatt, IHG, Accor, Sheraton are coming up to join the room by hour league!
Short stay, safe stay!
With the coming of the room by hour concept, there are a few other things associated with it. For example, the issue of renting rooms to unmarried couples. In India, there are thousands of young couples who may wish to spend quality time together but don’t have many options. The internet is raging with queries about hotels that allow unmarried couples. It is the common notion that people use rooms by hour mostly for illicit activities, but most startups offering rooms by hour, do allow couples to share a room on submission of their valid ID proofs. Renting out rooms to unmarried couples is not illegal in India, and there’s no intention to intrude upon their privacy.
What other facilities are offered?
Some hotels offering rooms by hour have equipped themselves with bunker beds, meeting rooms and relaxation lounges which may be of immense use to customers staying on an hourly basis to get some rest or to freshen up. This hourly stay concept encompasses budget hotels as well as star rated ones.
So, along with providing a room by hour facility to customers, we are also proceeding towards a more open mindset. By opening doors to unmarried couples, hotels have the potential to attract larger revenues. Indeed, the room by hour concept is here to stay!
