Pay less to get watched

It’s a brilliant marketing strategy only if you can get over the fact that the world might be watching you as you unwind in the privacy of your hotel room. Tetsuya Inoue’s grandmother owns a hotel in Fukuoka, Japan - Asahi Ryokan. The actual tariff is $24/room/night but if you agree to live stream your stay, you have to pay only $1.

The camera is fitted in such a way that the bathroom is out of range, and the camera records video only – so all your conversations will remain private. If you’re bored of the attention, you can always turn the lights off. 

This idea came to Inoue when a British national had rented his room and was live streaming his stay to his friends in UK. This made him wonder – what if he too officially allows live streaming?

But the question which comes to the mind is what will he earn from a meagre $1? Well, first and foremost, this news is now all over the world – no other deal would have achieved that and that in itself is brilliant marketing. Secondly, this live streaming is being done on YouTube channel – OneDollarHotel. Inoue plans to build some curiosity online, generate bookings and eventually monetize his YouTube channel. 

Well, when we watched the movie, Truman Show, we wondered then at the incredibility of the idea but today, we are actually seeing it happen. Art imitates life or life imitates art?

Also cannot help but wonder whether people are so bored, with little to do that they dont mind watching strangers living thier life in a hotel room? This kind of voyeurism is simply beyond comprehension.