Homestays can be a hit or miss and sometimes they can be quite expensive. Thankfully, some homestay owners have offered affordable prices or even promos so that their guests can enjoy their stay on a budget.
However, this homestay owner shared that a competitor was not very happy that he set a low price for his homestay, accusing him of dropping its value. Here’s the story:
Yesterday (Tuesday, 11th July), a homestay owner who goes by Sohaimi Ismail posted on the B40 Buat Perangai Apa Harini Facebook group to share a story of a recent conversation he had with a competitor. According to the post, the man claimed that his competitor complained about how he was ruining the homestay business.
“He sent me angry text messages asking me why I set the prices for my homestay too low. He basically accused me of ruining the market ’cause I apparently dropped its value,” he wrote. The owner added that he sees nothing wrong with putting an affordable price of RM100+ for a 3-bedroom apartment unit. “If he wants to put RM250 – RM300 for a unit, that’s his choice. It’s my homestay so what’s wrong with offering people a low price for a comfortable stay?” he stated.
From the photos he shared of his homestay apartment unit, it definitely looks like guests are getting more than what they’re paying for. The homeowner even shared a screenshot of a positive review left by a previous guest. Judging by the message, the low price was probably offered so that those in the B40 category will also be able to afford it.
Many netizens showed their support for Sohaimi’s decision and generosity while others complimented him on the idea of posting his story as a marketing strategy so that people will check out his homestay. Some have also claimed that he was lying after finding out that his homestay actually cost over RM200 on the Airbnb app, as seen in the screenshots below.
So was the RM100+ for a 3-bedroom unit a lie or is it negotiable depending on the guest’s affordability and the duration of their stay? Let us know what you think.
Source: Facebook
