If you were told that your hotel stay would only amount to less than Php 50 a night, would you believe it? Our gut reaction would be to say, “That’s too good to be true!” And in some way, it is…because the catch is that you’ll have to livestream your entire stay on the hotel’s official YouTube channel.
Source:Â YouTube.com, One Dollar Hotel
The owner of Asahi Business Ryokan in Fukuoka, Japan, 27-year-old Tetsuya Inoue, thought of this crazy idea when a British YouTuber checked in as a guest and livestreamed most of his stay at the old inn. Inoue then realized how livestreaming will not only gain exposure for his inn but also provide a new potential revenue stream through YouTube monetization.
“This is a very old ryokan and I was looking into a new business model,” shared Inoue, who started running the hotel, which is owned by his grandmother, last year. “Our hotel is on the cheaper side, so we need some added value, something special that everyone will talk about.”
Source:Â YouTube.com, One Dollar Hotel
Interested guests who’d want to save up on accommodations can rent out room number 8 of Asahi Business Ryokan for a very low fee of 100 yen a night (approximately Php 47). You don’t have to worry much about too much invasion of privacy, though, because the livestream feed is video-only, meaning no one will be able to hear your conversations. You’re also allowed to turn the lights off. The bathroom is also out of range of the camera.
Of course, there are rules you’ll have to abide by during your stay in this room. You’re not allowed to display “lewd acts” and you are warned of showing private information like your passport details and credit cards.
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On days when no one is staying at the room, Inoue posts livestreams of himself working at the office. He also posts signs when he’s left the room so that viewers would know where he is.
Source:Â YouTube.com, One Dollar Hotel
As of writing, the YouTube channel “One Dollar Hotel” has passed 4,600 subscribers. Once the channel accumulates at least 4,000 hours of watch time within the past 12 months, it will be able to have ads in its videos and earn from them.
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Would you stay at this hotel?
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