A back-to-basics bedroom for backpackers and bargain hunters

As more and more airlines are coming up with ways to bring down the cost of flights, people are beginning to travel more. Promos and piso fares make it very easy and very cheap for one to get to his desired destination. 

 

Of course, getting to a place is one thing, and staying in it, something else. As air fares go lower and lower, cheaper accommodations are becoming more necessary, which explains the emergence of budget hotels and hostels like Microtel, Eurotel, and the newest hotel chain on the block: Tune Hotels.

 

Tune Hotels CEO Mark Lankester says their concept is an answer to the decreasing cost of air travel: “A lot of people were finding that the cost of air travel came down, but actual hotels were really quite expensive. Our idea was to come up with a hotel that took the exact same business model as the low cost carrier. Basically, the earlier you book, and if you book online, we’ll always give you the best deal possible.”

 

Like other budget hotels, the new hotel chain has taken a back-to-basics approach: “What you don’t want, what you don’t need, you don’t have to pay for…What we’re telling people is, you’re allowed to actually choose the kind of stay that you want,” he adds.

 

True enough, at Tune Hotels, you get only the bare necessities, that is, a bed and a bathroom. Everything else, you have to pay extra for. And yes, “everything else” means the amenities that we take for granted at regular hotels: Wi-Fi, TV, air-conditioning, even those cute little soap bars and bottles of shampoo.

 

No spas or swimming pools, no room service, no breakfast buffets.

 

Just the very basics, at the heart of which is a great bed: “We did research and asked people who were heavy leisure travelers or business travelers what the most important thing [is to them],” shares Lankester. 

 

“People actually came by and said, ‘We wanna have a great night’s sleep...at the same time, you get a great power shower the next morning to wake you up,” Lankester adds.

  

Aside from beds and showers, another thing they prioritize is location.

 

According to Lankester, “a lot of economy hotels have a bit of a stigma. They tend to be sort of outside the center. You have to travel quite a way in when you want to get to the city center. We’re throwing that out. We want to always be center. Our locations are always central.”

 

"People from the Philippines have already tried us. We have guests from the Philippines in our Malaysian hotels, Bali, Thailand and London. As long as people have stayed with us in countries where we currently are, they will opt to try to stay with us in the Philippines as well," he adds. 

 

As it is, Tune Hotels is already setting up branches that are expected to open early next year: Angeles on February 10, Cebu City on February 24, and in Ermita on March 9. (They are in fact offering a P188/night promo as they launch these new branches. Check out their website to learn more.) Makati and Quezon City hotels are also in the works.

                                                                        

Something different

                                                  

Clearly, the concept of Tune Hotels is something entirely different from what most of us are used to. While luxury hotels are tucked away in little pockets of paradise, Tune Hotels dives right in to the hustle and even charges extra for hairdryer use.

 

Such a hotel will easily be welcomed by backpackers and businessmen who plan to spend more time exploring foreign territory or attending business meetings than lounging in their hotel rooms, or by those who love a good bargain (and, knowing Filipinos, there are a lot).

   

But of course, this new experience will not please everybody—particularly those who adore the glamour and the romance that the Shangri-las and the Hiltons and the Sofitels of the world promise and provide with each expensive stay. Those who prefer the opulence and the style would do well to stick to these stalwarts of hospitality. After all, a bed is just a bed, but sometimes whether it’s covered in Egyptian or regular cotton sheets makes all the difference. –With Renee Fopalan/KG, GMA News