Tuesday, June 12, 2012

BnB Hero: Introduction, How To, and Personal Experience

Have you ever heard about BedandBreakfast.com? For European or American maybe they know about this handy website. But for Asians, including me, I had no idea what that is. Well, I am not going to write about BedandBreakfast.com here, but instead I am going to write about "the Korean version" of this website: BnB Hero.
Alright, so what is this BnB Hero? nope, it is not one of the character from the famous Marvel. It is actually a website which provide you a room searching engine. Maybe you, especially those who like to travel or out of city, familiar with the keyword "cheap hotel at [cityname]" on any search engine and give you the list of hotel room websites. Well, this website is a bit different. It is not searching for a hotel or motel room, but it is searching for someone's room that is rented by the owner. The rooms are relatively cheap and beneficial for both the owner of the room and the guest (and I guess the website owner, too). Interested? Keep reading.
This website is applying the principle of what so called Collaborative Consumption which is one of TIME’s top 10 most influential idea which can change the world. Or we can just simply say, everybody (or even everything) gets the benefit. Here you can rent your room, the website will post it and announce it, and the guest who found your room and interested in it will contact you through the website. Nice and clean.

What if I want to rent my room and list it on BnB Hero?
The website explains really really detail about this. Visit: http://www.bnbhero.com/about/how_it_works

How do I search for a room and book it?
Assuming that you already have registered and logged in, you just need to type the place that you are going to or you can easily select one from the popular place options, check in and out dates, and number of guest. Then click Search. BnB Hero will give you the list of matching rooms. The list then will show you the basic information like the main picture, the price, location, etc. Click on whatever room you like to go to the more detail of the room. There will be some detail description about the room. There is no address written on the information, though. The owner of the website said that it is for safety reason and actually there is a rough location map on the page to help you figure out the surroundings of the place.
Not enough with the information on the page? Ask directly to the owner of the room by sending them message. Satisfied with the information and want to book it? Just fill out the information and "Make a Reservation!".
One inconvenience thing is that the payment is quite less optional. You are only given 2 choices of payment method: credit card issued in Korea or PayPal. You don't have any of those? You would want to consult with the website owner or the room owner first.

Personal Experience
On June 9th - June 10th 2012, as K-Supporter member, I got the opportunity to go to Yeosu to see the Expo and K-Pop concert. And for the accommodation we were assigned to some rooms selected from BnBHero. I and my partner got to stay one night in somebody's apartment located near the city hall. I was not expecting much since I saw the picture on BnBHero and yes, it was not more than my expectation. The room has one double-sized bed. There was no air conditioning but the owner offered us a fan. One shared bathroom and they prepare us towels and toiletries.
There is this one nice thing, though. The owner of the apartment was very welcoming and friendly. They are one grandmother (who really looks young, though) and two of her grandsons, one works in a company and one is a student in middle school. It really felt like a family. My partner brought food and he was reheating it and the owner offered us more food. The next morning she made breakfast for us and coffee for my partner. Moreover, she gave us, I think some kind of tea powder, to bring in case we were thirsty. She told us about her story, her family, what she does and what they do. It was really something to listen to her story. She does not speak English at all, one of her grandson, even though with a really limited English, always tried to translate what his grandmother says when we did not understand.
Overall, I really liked and enjoyed this homestay. It really did not feel like a room that we had to pay to stay. It was more than that, it felt like a family. She said we were the first one to stay there. I hope we left a good memory for them. She did give a very decent experience for me. Thanks Mrs. Myeong Cheol-rim .
(from left) Me, Mrs. Myeong, and my partner

Want to get your own experience? BnBHero now!


angga | 앙가

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