Have you ever turned up to an airport at midnight, dreading the prospect of haggling with a taxi driver that may take you on a special 100 buck early morning scenic tour?
Or, if you want to avoid that, mortgaging your house to pay for the convenience of an overpriced room at an expensive hotel chain walking distance from the airport?
Even worse, sleeping at the airport itself on a poorly cushioned chair that you’re trying to share with other tight arse travellers – and cockroaches?
Yes, I’ve been in all of these situations. And they all really suck.
But I’ve come across a viable alternative which promises to eliminate all of those dodgy late-night-accommodation-searching scenarios.
It’s called Tune Hotels. And they operate in the same manner as many of the low cost airlines do – you pay for what you want.
When I first heard about the concept, it sounded a bit strange to me – paying the different components of accommodation separately. But after staying at Tune Hotels, it now makes perfect sense.
Biresh from Tune Hotels kindly let me crash at their Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) hotel at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I needed a place to sleep overnight after my awesome month long trip through Indonesia, and I was able to see what Tune Hotels are all about.
This is the Tune Hotel at the Kuala Lumpur LCCT:
Anyway, this is how the system at Tune Hotels works:
First of all, there is a room base rate. The base rate includes the room per night only. The room includes a comfortable bed and bathroom with hot water and powerful showers.
The base rate at Kuala Lumpur airport starts at RM 9.99, or about $USD3 per night depending on availability and the length of time booked in advance (similar to how a low cost airline works). Even if you book at short notice, the rates are reasonable.
The longer you book in advance, the cheaper the price.
You then pay for the extras you want. Add-ons include things like air-conditioning, towels and soap/shampoo. Or otherwise, you can bring these things yourself.
There's more on the Tune Hotels concept here at their website.
This is a typical room. They can be a bit small (or 'space efficient' as Biresh says!) , but they more than do the job.
The Tune Hotel rooms themselves are modern, basic and clean. There’s no television or phones, but many travellers don’t need these anyway. They just want a place to crash that’s clean without the bonus of insects that may find their way into your mouth when sleeping the night away.
If you want air-conditioning, this is paid for in 12 hour lots. There is a timer in the room which lets you know how much air-con time you have left.
I like the idea of the air-con vouchers. It stops energy hungry sods from leaving the air-con on all day just so the room is cool when they come back to sleep again, thus preventing the unnecessary release of greenhouse gases which will raise sea levels by a few more millimetres.
With regards to paying for towel rental, do you use a different towel each day at home? Neither do I. Many backpackers bring their own anyway.
Even the toilets and shower facilities are great! I had just spent a month backpacking around Indonesia using only a bucket for a shower, and I found their showers were powerful enough to clean an elephant!
Here is a photo of the bathroom – Look – no mould!
So what’s the verdict?
For me, Tune Hotels are excellent value for money (especially one located walking distance from the airport). Their hotels are modern, comfortable and clean. They even use King Coil beds, which some of the more expensive hotel chains use.
In comparison, I’ve paid truckloads more for a lumpy dorm bed in a dingy backpacker’s where there was cigarette stained carpets resembling a leopard skin, accompanied by scurrying cockroaches. And this was with communal bathrooms with trickle-showers that were a breeding ground for unidentified bacteria that would have scared off any agar plate.
If you wanted to stay at the Kuala Lumpur airport Tune Hotel, I’d suggest booking in advance to make sure you can get a room. Understandably, they’re often booked out, which says something in itself. You can even pay for a refresher deal for a few hours if you want to chill out before your next flight.
There are other Tune Hotels located in other cities, such as Penang, Bali (Indonesia) and Kuching (Malaysian Borneo), with grand plans to open a lot more in the next few years.
Tune Hotels is an offshoot of the Air Asia group. Tune Hotels are popping up all over the place – understandably, where Air Asia flies.
You can also follow Tune Hotels on Twitter.
By the way, the Tune Hotels Twitter account is not a bot – it’s operated by a real person (Biresh!) who actually interacts with you!
So the bottom line is: if you want a clean, affordable place to crash on your next travels around south-east Asia, Tune Hotels is definitely an option for you. And I'm not just saying this because the accommodation was provided free of charge to me by Tune Hotels.
You can tell from the photos themselves (ie. they're my photos, not ones from a PR Agency!) that it's a great place to stay.
But don't just take my word for it – stay there for a night or so and find out yourself. It won't cost you much anyway!
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November 5th, 2009 at 3:15 am
Tunehotels are great. I stayed at the KL city centre branch and I had the same reaction as you to the bathroom – “wow no mould!”. The bed was like I imagine sleeping in a big marshmallow, though it might have been perspective after a month of travel in cheapo guesthouses in Indonesia.
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November 7th, 2009 at 4:32 am
Hi Anthony. I guarantee that before people had no idea about the concept of this Tune Hotel provided by AirAsia. After reading this post, I found this article is very helpful for the travelers.
you said the hotel is near LCCT, that means there is another Tune Hotel in Kuala Lumpur at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman that is not far from Sogo KL.
Sapawi´s last blog ..Sogo KL
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November 18th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
The hotel with the lowest initial rate may not be the best value. Many better hotels include extras and amenities in their basic rate including a free breakfast; some now offer free wireless internet service. Travellers should ascertain precisely what is included in their room rate and what services incur an additional charge. This is especially important for business travellers; internet and phone charges can add significantly to the cost of the stay. For hotels offering a free breakfast, it’s usually a good idea to find out exactly what the breakfast comprises; there is a significant difference between an elaborate breakfast buffet and a couple of lonely pastries on a tray.
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December 1st, 2009 at 5:42 pm
The concept of Tune hotels is new and after all who wants to spend exorbitant amount on room rents when all that you need is a night’s sound sleep. Thanks for sharing.
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December 16th, 2009 at 7:20 am
I like this concept its good for everyone
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December 27th, 2009 at 5:58 am
Much better than low cost airlines because at least you don’t have to put your life at risk to stay there as yo do with the dodgy training given to many low cost airline maintenance and pilots. Wouldn’t catch me on Air Asia but I would give the hotels a go…
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January 5th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
It’s like Ryan air flights. I like it, pay as you go/want for hotels.
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January 20th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
I like this article. This is called a great article. I am new here. I like your site too. This is pretty awesome. i found some useful info here. anyways thanks for sharing with us. I am looking foreword your next post. Thanks. I’m just going to shear this site all my friend’s and i hope they live this site.
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February 12th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
Hadn’t heard of Tune hotels. They look very fit for purpose.
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February 20th, 2010 at 12:23 am
I certainly have never heard of these before and could certainly see them giving travel lodges and premier inn in the UK a run for their money.
Tarras Bed and Breakfast – Lockerbie
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February 21st, 2010 at 5:24 pm
t was revealed that Phuket has been identified as the location for the first of the 44 new Tune Hotels.com hotels.
The roll-out of Tune Hotels.com across Asia is also planned for other locations in Thailand, China, Bangladesh, the Philippines and as Indonesia.
Almost half of the Tune Hotels. com to be developed will be in Thailand, with Bangkok and Phuket identified as key locations, while China, Bangladesh, Philippines and Indonesia would have between five to six Tune Hotels.com hotels
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February 26th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Thank you for the information you have written
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March 9th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
This is the second time I have read about Tune Hotels. I have got to try this. It could end scary airport overnights forever! (And yeah, what is it with those early morning tours you didn’t ask for??) Seriously, thanks for posting some great detail information about this.
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March 9th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Oh yeah, you’ve described some of the worst places to be – especially sleeping at the airport. Wow, you’ve really hit a winner with Tune Hotels. Who cares if the rooms are small, beats sleeping in a chair. Great stuff.
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March 9th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Wow that’s interesting. One of those things someone should have thought of decades ago. This is certaining going to take off. I do a lot of business traveling. With Sydney apartments so expensive, this is a great idea for the frequent visitor!
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March 11th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Wow this is a really different idea. Sure beats sleeping at the airport. The rooms look quite roomy really. There really is no comparison though between a bed and a chair. Looks as if Tune Hotels have thought of just about everything.
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