By: Adam Hartzer ’23
Layout Editor
The Netflix original Australian reality series, Instant Hotel, aired in 2017, showcasing groups of homeowners who have transformed their homes into hotels. With the rising interest in home rental websites such as Airbnb and more travelers renting property during their vacations, homeowners have joined the trend to transform their vacation homes into a rental property that tourists and visitors can stay at and enjoy.
The premise of the show revolves around 10 different homeowners who all tour one another’s homes and compete to have the best “instant hotel.” The criteria for rating each instant hotel is based on the appearance, value for the money, the quality of the guest’s sleep, and the instant hotel’s location and proximity to local attractions and sightseeing.
Almost a hybrid between typical series on HGTV and TLC, Instant Hotel appeals to those who enjoy travel and home renovation and reality-show drama. Because the show is a competition with a grand prize trip to California, the various homeowners are quick to point out flaws and mistakes in each other’s home design, leading to arguments and tension that builds as the show progresses.
In each episode, homeowners take turns hosting each other and invite them to stay in their own instant hotel. Each participant gets a welcome gift along with the instant hotel’s nightly price and amenities if they were to book a night and stay there. The other contestants use this information in addition to their personal opinions and experiences they have during their visit. All contestant’s scores are averaged together and then combined with the ratings given by Juliet Ashworth, a professional interior and luxury hotel designer.
In addition to each instant hotel being scored, the homeowner is able to reciprocate a rating to their guests, scoring guests based on how clean and respectful the guests left the instant hotel after checking out. With each homeowner’s composite scores fluctuating throughout the series, the winner is left unknown until the season finale.
With the show’s popularity on Netflix, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on Netflix in June of 2019. Similar to the first season, homeowners compete and rate each other’s instant hotels; the only notable difference is the grand prize is a cash prize of $100,000. At this time, it is unknown whether the series will be renewed for a third season.
