Tune Hotels - The new low cost sleeper!

Well, as promised, the second post from TheBudgetTravelGuy is all about a new budget accomodation option in Malaysia and Borneo.

It seems a new budget hotel chain has sprung up, following the same bare bones philosophy of the low cost airlines.

Tune Hotels provides a basic room with bed and ensuite, and allows you to "add-on" extras such as air-conditioning, towels and toiletries.

The rooms are threadbare and contain no television, radio, mini-bar, wardrobe or tea & coffee facilities.

The hotel has partnered with several different food chains to provide budget meal options as well mini-mart facilities within the hotel. Wireless Internet access is available in room (for a charge) and free Internet terminals are provided in the hotel's foyer.

Room rates are incredibly cheap, and start from RM5!!!

My initial thoughts were along the lines of who would utilise such a hotel.

Firstly I thought about those people who had a lengthy delay between flights at Kuala Lumpur's Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). Someone who wants a bed, shower and a quick bite to eat would find this perfect.

Then in the city hotels, your business traveller who is attending meetings all day and attends work related dinners in the evening. Somewhere to crash, freshen up and catch up on those emails.

However after discussing this with my wife last night, a third kind of traveler came to mind.

This kind of hotel "forces" you to not stay in the room, so it will be handy to those budget travellers who are keen to get out and about and explore the city.

I think it's an interesting concept that might just catch on. I see on the hotel's website that they have plans to expand to Bali. I'm not so sure how well this will be received. As a frequent traveller to Bali, and a budget one at that, I like the fact that my hotel has a television, pool and all of those little facilities. Maybe it comes down to the type of holiday you're on.

I go to Bali to relax, sleep in, enjoy the hotel buffet breakfast, have a laze around by the pool and then head out to wander the streets, do some shopping, and have nice meal and some Bintang in the afternoon.

So I guess, for Bali at least, I'm not the target market for Tune Hotels. However, as a traveller through KL and the LCCT, I would definitely take up the option to use the hotel there for short stays during flight delays.

The KL LCCT hotel opens in April this year, so let's look out for some reviews after that and see what other travellers think.

Well that's all for today folks.

Look out for my next post, where I'll discuss some of the low cost airlines operating in the Asian/Pacific region.

Travel Budget, Travel Well.

TheBudgetTravelGuy

Intro

Hi there everyone and welcome to my blog!

I plan to update this every couple of days with news and information on budget travel.

My main focus in the short term is on the Asian region, but will certainly keep an interest in budget travel news around the world.

Currently I have 2 trips to Asian planned for the next 12 months.

In August my wife and I are heading off to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam for 5 days and spending 2 days in Singapore on the way home. We're flying Jetstar from Perth to Singapore and back, Tiger to HCMC and Jetstar back to Singapore.

And in January 2010 we're taking our daughter and my little sister to Bali for a week. We managed to pick up some really cheap flights on AirAsiaX, so we're flying to Bali via Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. On our way back to Perth we're flying via KL and Singapore, all in the same day!

Well keep an eye out for my next post, where I'll share some thoughts and information on a low cost hotel option in Malaysia.

Travel Budget, Travel Well

TheBudgetTravelGuy