Hospitality is as old as human civilization, as humans have been traveling for trade, education or pilgrimage. As the oldest living civilization India has a tradition called – Atithi Devo Bhava, which essentially means that an unannounced guest is comparable to Devatas or Gods.
Our ancient cities, towns, villages and even our pathways had provisions for travelers to rest or stay for short stays. Our cave systems on the trade routes are a testimony to this tradition.
The hotels and hospitality industry though is a product of the industrial age, when businessmen created a hotel as a product for travelers. Now, you could pay to stay in luxury properties and be pampered by their staff. Yes, to begin with, most hotels were a luxury and catered to the upper echelons of society.
The last couple of decades in India saw a huge growth in hotels driven by economic growth coupled with aviation growth that made travel affordable and accessible to the larger population.
Challenges of the Hospitality Industry
The processes of the hotel industry though stayed rooted in the distant past. So, most hotels expect you to check in around 2 PM or later, and you must check out by 12 noon or so. This allows them a couple of hours to prepare the room for the next guest. However, you end up getting 22 hours in lieu of 24 hours.
There are some hotels that offer 24-hour checkout, but they are too few in number.
The worst is when you land at night and have to leave the next evening. You either pay for two nights or end up having your luggage in the hotel storage room.
Similarly, for longer stays, you want an environment that is cozier than the cold hotels. You may want the flexibility of cooking yourself or having someone cook specifically for you as per your liking. I really want this on short work assignments or when I am exploring a place by spending ample time there.
Technology impacted the travel sector big time with the advent of Online Travel Agents, who brought the whole gamut of accommodation options to our fingertips. However, they did not change the base business model of the industry or approach it from a customer’s perspective.
Hourly Stays with Bag2Bag
So, when I heard about Bag2Bag offering hotels on an hourly basis, I explored their website in detail. I checked for various properties in Tier I cities where I usually need a quick night stay or need a place to change before a meeting or relax for a few hours before taking a…
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