It’s Only $1 To Stay In This Japanese Hotel—But You Have to Livestream the Entire Experience
When you pay for a hotel room, you usually expect a level of privacy. But would you sacrifice that in exchange for a really good deal? This Japanese hotel is challenging guests by offering $1 night stays—you just have to livestream your entire experience.
Located in the Japanese city of Fukuoka, Asahi Ryokan is currently operated by 27-year-old Tetsuya Inoue, according to CNN. When he inherited the old ryokan from his grandmother in 2018, he recognized that the hotel needed a special component to grab people’s attention and make a profit—so he looked into a new business model that would become the $1 deal.
The deal is pretty straightforward: guests who agree to have their entire stay live-streamed only pay $1 for the overnight. Inoue plays the video-only footage on his YouTube channel One Dollar Hotel, so guests’ conversations are kept private. And, of course, the bathroom area is out of range, and guests are allowed to turn the lights off.
While the deal itself isn’t profitable, Inoue is thinking about how the live-streaming aspect can grow his YouTube following, eventually accumulating enough hours watched to be able to place ads and make money that way. “Young people nowadays don’t care much about the privacy,” Inoue told CNN. “Some of them say it’s OK to be [watched] for just one day.”
Out of the 10 rooms in the hotel, only one is wired for live-streaming purposes. So if you’ve got a date in mind and are willing to sacrifice your privacy, jump on it! But the question remains: Would you?