Here’s an original Netflix reality show that lets you learn more about the short term rental market. We’re talking about “Instant Hotel,” a series that took over in the vacation rental management themed reality genre.
The Australian TV show features ten teams competing against each other to see who has the best vacation rental property. The winner will get the chance to travel to Palm Springs, California and stay in an “instant hotel” that some say belongs to Leonardo DiCaprio.
The first season of Instant Hotel has since been released, and can be found here.
The Hosts
The show is hosted by Aussie actor Luke Jacobz together with hospitality expert Juliet Ashworth. Ashworth is a creative director and partner at CHAD, an interior design company specialized in luxury resorts and hotels. Her input is insightful and eye-opening in some instances, especially for those interested in vacation rental management or who have an “instant hotel” of their own.
The Competition
There are ten contestants split into groups of five pairs. The first episodes follow the first group as they spend a night in each other’s instant hotel. The guests have to evaluate the properties based on four crucial factors:
- The house
- The location (the activities one can enjoy while spending their vacation in that location)
- How well they slept
- The value for money
After they spend the night in the instant hotel, the guests have to score the host from one to ten. Ashworth will provide a score too based on the same criteria. She does it after the guests have expressed their opinions so that she doesn’t influence them.
A plot twist that surprised the contestants was when they discovered that the hosts would grade the guests as well. The host evaluates the house after the guests’ departure and gives them a score based on cleanliness, if they paid attention to the check-in and check-out hours and if they respected the house rules.
Notable Episodes
The rivalry between the competitors (except for their amazing properties, of course) is one of the things that make this show so captivating. Babe and Bondi, the mother and daughter team from Bondi Beach get in a fight with Brent and Leroy, a couple from Port Douglas.
The episodes in which the guests spend their night at Babe and Bondi’s and Leroy says that their house looks like “lipstick on a gorilla” made audiences grasp. Naturally, everyone wanted to see how Brent and Leroy’s instant hotel looked like as they were constantly praising themselves for their attention to detail and sophisticated taste.
You’ll have to watch the show to see if they live up to the expectations.
Other Shows to Watch If You Enjoyed Instant Hotel
“Stay Here” is another excellent show about short-term rentals. It’s hosted by a dynamic duo of star interior designer Genevieve Gorder and real estate expert Peter Lorimer, who also owns a short term rental firm in Beverly Hills, California.
The show owes its appeal to the chemistry and good dynamics between the two hosts, who manage to dramatically improve the services offered by each rental unit they decide to revamp.
Genevieve Gorder, or “Gen” as her co-host calls her in the show, brings a contemporary, yet unique design to each unit they reinvent, leaving them Instagram-worthy and easily appealing to the potential customers that Lorimer then helps reach. For each renovation, the owner is invited to stay elsewhere, so that they don’t influence the project or try to sabotage it out of nostalgia or insecurity.
The surprise of the owner is part of the excitement of the show, showing how professional expertise and help can boost an entrepreneur’s motivation and view on his business.
Over to You
This formula makes the show an interesting watch, even though it might not serve as a teaching resource for more experienced vacation rental owners. The show helps more on building the motivation to niche your property, or inspiring you to start your own instant hotel business.
But, mostly, it’s entertaining to watch such a display of forces as they are competing for the title of best instant hotel.
