Staying at a private residence is difficult in Japan.
I think you might compare it to "Airbnb" and other private accommodation services, but have you ever used such services yourself?
Yes . I have stayed at various properties, including tree houses. Naturally, there are parts I was satisfied with and parts I was not. From the perspective of a guest, the houses are nice, but there were times when I wished I could stay in a place where the service was on par with a hotel. . Also, from the renter's point of view, there are some operational hassles such as keys. For example, vacation homes in Karuizawa are selling very well, but data shows that on average, they are used only 20 days out of 365 days. In other words, it is so unused that one wonders what it was purchased for. When asked why they don't rent them out, the answer is that they are a hassle to manage.
That is where "NOT A HOTEL" is improving.
We, "NOT A HOTEL", have a closet for the owner. They can leave their belongings there, so it is easy to rent and keep their privacy. . So, you can think of us as a housing company that sells houses that are easy to rent. Airbnb" is mainly a service for guests, right? . On the other hand, we are a service for owners. . "NOT A HOTEL" can be turned into a hotel with a single tap. Easy to hide luggage . Easy to operate. We are selling houses that are easy to rent as hotels through D2C. We are not aiming to be a platform like Airbnb, but rather a product.
What is the reason for building a hotel from scratch instead of operating an existing villa?
For example, by law, it is difficult to operate private accommodations in Karuizawa, and there are not many houses in Japan that can actually be operated as hotels 365 days a year, i.e., places where the travel business can be taken. The key is to be able to create an environment that can be rented out as a hotel, and the existing vacation homes can only be used as residences.
I see.
Without clearing up all those issues, it is difficult in Japan for a private residence to be called a "minpaku". In the future, we would like to install the "NOT A HOTEL" system in all houses, including existing vacation homes, but we are not yet ready to do so. A good house is often built on a good site, isn't it? . In other words, there are many cases where a good-looking house cannot be legally turned into a hotel. For example, due to use restrictions, they cannot be turned into hotels, and in Kyoto and Tokyo's Minato Ward, there are restrictions of 90 days or less. . So, the best way is to build a house that can be turned into a hotel.
