Travellers have the option to stay in Asahi Ryokan in Fukuoka, Japan for USD 1( RM 4 ) a night if they don’t mind to livestream their stay.
27 yo Tetsuya Inoue took over the property from his grandma and thought of ways to bring in additional revenue. He got the idea of livestreaming when a British YouTuber stayed in the hotel and livestreamed his stay.
Thus, he started his YouTube channel One Dollar Hotel. The feed is video-only, so guests will have privacy in their conversations or phone calls. Guests are permitted to turn the lights off, and the bathroom area is out of camera range.
Here is a sign in the livestreamed rooms about some do & don’t :
Of course some people are concerned about their privacy. But, nowadays many young people don’t really care. For them, being livestreamed is no big deal. Especially Gen Z that grew up with a lot of access to technology. While, some guests are looking for ways to save money while travelling in Japan and a USD 1 hotel room is a novel concept.
Inoue only spared 2 rooms for livestreaming and he hopes with that he can bring more revenue through ads on the YouTube channel. On days when those rooms are vacant, Inoue will post a livestream of himself working in the ryokan’s office.
Asahi Ryokan is situated in the seaside city of Fukuoka and is known for its incredible and wide variety of seafood. Fukuoka is also the birthplace of the popular Ichiran chain, home of yummy pork tonkotsu ramen.
If you have plans to go Fukuoka any time soon and you are on a tight budget and don’t mind being livestreamed then you should check out his One Dollar Hotel.
Asahi Ryokan, 2-6-2 Kiyokawa, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, +81 090 5212 3216
Source & Photo Credit : CNN Travel