A car for $22 a night. With access to the beautiful Manhattan skyline. This might sound like a fantastic deal if we’re talking about a chauffeur-driven night on the town or rental car arrangement. Yes?
But, does your opinion change when I tell you it’s a van. And an opportunity to stay in it, courtesy of Airbnb? That’s right, I just saw an article on this posted on the New York Daily News website and, subsequently, read a lot of chatter about it on Twitter, where—as I’m sure you’ll guess—there was less-than-favorable commentary.
So, I checked it out for myself. Not the van. The listing. And, sure enough, you can check in and check out of said Long Island City-based “van with a view”—for a couple of Hamiltons (and, as a proud Hamilton College graduate, don’t even start me on that trending topic). But, I digress.
It says it offers a “private room” for “two guests” but, for some reason, I just can’t imagine it being as nostalgically quaint as my preteen family trip across country in a VW Bus. Heck, we even stayed in motels most nights. Rather, if I’m being honest, at first thought, it conjures up images of 1970s crime scenes. You know, couples in parked cars. Or, perhaps, it reminds me of that great Chris Farley character, Matt Foley, the motivational speaker on Saturday Night Live, who’s whole shtick revolved around living in a van down by the river. And people laughed.
But, maybe this Jonathan—a New York City-based stand-up comedian who’s listing this car-as-urban-lodging experience along with a whole fleet of vans, and even a converted NYC taxi—is no laughing matter. Is he onto something? If you look at the photos, the interior offerings are not too shabby (minus the photo of the actual van…the kind my mother told me to stay away from). Then, I read the reviews. Positive, for the most part. So, who am I to judge? CNN even headlined it as “New York’s Hippest Hotel.” Maybe this enterprising guy is clever after all. People seem willing to spend money on this home away from home…even if the “amenities” are, let’s just say, basic. And expected. Which is why I was extremely surprised to read a review that stated the all too obvious: “It got hot in the day, and so staying in was not an option. It stayed noisy until the wee hours, and asking the cars to drive softly was not an option. It got stuffy at night, and opening a window was not an option.” Do I even need to mention a bathroom? But, take heart, for a small fee ($6), there is “housekeeping.”
I write all of this because we’re running a Trend Watch story in this issue on the sharing economy and what it means for hotels to stay competitive with online rental companies (see page 34). The article reports on a recent TravelClick study that revealed that a fairly low percentage of hoteliers have actually put together a business strategy to compete in this sharing economy, which is defined by TravelClick as a “growing revenue opportunity of always on and always connected consumers who are in need of overnight accommodations.” It’s not just about the house rentals in exotic locations or the walk-up in a bustling metropolis any more. Apparently, “creative” Airbnb rental opportunities are filling some kind of demand for customers who want to find an even more affordable stay in expensive neighborhoods. And have one-of-a kind experiences to boot. This van-hotel is just one of a few out there. There’s also a listing for a tent in the backyard of a California home that includes one shower a day, wireless Internet and access to electricity. And a treehouse, if that’s your thing.
And, while many hotel companies are probably targeting a customer different than the Airbnb user, and certainly are in no danger—yet—of losing their guests to parked cars, it really is food for thought as more and more folks are getting in on the lodging game, no matter how primitive, and sharing, even in some small part, the economy of this industry.
Let’s get the conversation started. Email me your thoughts about this—or any industry topic—at [email protected], or share them on Facebook or Twitter. We want to know what you think!