In 2005, Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou launched EasyHotel, while Tony Fernandes, founder of Air Asia, followed suit in 2007 with Tune Hotels, which promises a five-star bed for one-star service.
After expanding in their respective regions - EasyHotel is present in a dozen European cities such as London, Larnaca and Budapest, while Tune Hotels has 11 establishments in Malaysia and Indonesia - the two chains want to extend their network internationally. The English company made an incursion outside European borders when it opened a 216-room establishment in Dubai at the beginning of August. At the same time, the Malaysian chain made a foray into London (AirAsia's new destination) and plans to open 14 hotels in the UK by 2017.
The concept of these hotels is identical to that of low-cost airlines: the earlier you book, the better the rate, and you only pay for what you use. The rooms are modern but monastic and narrow, even very small, varying at EasyHotel from 7 m2 without a window (London) to 20 m2 (Larnaca). The basic rate includes the minimum equipment: bed, sheets, sanitary facilities, and sometimes heating and air conditioning; everything else, from television to cleaning during your stay, is optional. Tune Hotels even takes the 'à la carte' concept to the extreme, going so far as to charge for towels, air conditioning, hairdryers and Wi-Fi, so the price of a night's stay in London, starting at 44 euros, can rise very quickly to over 100 euros. Enough to compete with a promotion in a four- or even five-star hotel.
