Camping conjures thoughts of roughing it up outdoors, mosquitos and generally fighting the elements of the outdoors. For some of us, closest thing to camping is going to a hotel. Launched in August 2011, Huttenpalast Hotel in Berlin has put a whole new spin on camping. Situated in a former Berlin factory, Huttenpalast Hotel brings caravan style camping indoors.
Customers can select from two camping style experiences, wooden huts or old retro style caravans which they refer to as "Indoor Garden" camping. Pricing starts at EUR 40 per night. For those of us who still prefer the luxury and amenities of a hotel, Hutternpalast still caters for the more traditional accommodation at EUR 60 per night.
Good to see Huttenpalast Hotel, challenging the traditional hospitality market with a new novel and niche approach to accommodation for the adventurous and open minded traveler. One to consider and bring to your side of the world.
We are seeing more and more examples of consumers moving away from the bonds of ownership to the "hire as required" model. On the other hand, owners of idle goods such as lawn mowers, power tools, bicycles etc are willing to share their goods for a price.
The rental and hire concept is obviously not new but this simple model of sharing or reusing goods and services online has been promoted to the status of a social movement called "Collaborative Consumption". Joining the likes of Zilok and Rentoid, Australian startup Open Shed launched its beta trial platform in October 2011, providing an online marketplace for Australian consumers to rent and share their idle goods for a price.
There appears to be no end in sight with ownership averse consumers and eager consumers monetizing their unused assets, in turn contributing to the growing trend of sustainability.