Sleeping With a Stranger

USA Today had a piece about a new online hotel room sharing program. As stated – Easynest, started up in May and capitalizes on the fact most hotel rates are based on double occupancy, even if there’s just one person. It’s like having a roommate to split the rent.

Here’s how it works. You create a profile with Easynest, listing the places you’d like to visit along with dates and wait for a “host” (the hotel room booker) to contact you. Hotel and “guest’ then confirm dates, cost and other details and the guest pays the host directly. Currently the service is free, but there will be a fee in the future.

Unless there’s a thorough background search done on all “guests” this can be a crazy and dangerous idea. Who knows what kind of loon you’ll get as a roommate. Will you have to fill out a survey listing your likes and dislikes so the host can find you the perfect roommate? Do you prefer a quiet person who’ll let you sleep or a talkative person who’ll keep you up all night? You should be informed if your roommate has a criminal record so you can bring valuables to the bathroom when you shower; it’s too easy to break the code on the room safe.

Wanting to shower at the same time can be a problem, unless your roommate is of the opposite sex and you’re attracted to each other… but, that’s a whole different story. Problems can arise if your roommate snores, takes up extra closet space and stinks up the room with cheap perfume. A big problem is if your roommate ate the goodies from the minibar and skipped out, leaving you with the bill. I realize the same problems exist for married couples (minus the stealing) sharing a room, but at least the marriage license gives you free reign to openly and easily voice your grievances. Would you be so open and honest with a stranger? I don’t know if I would. I do know I’d be uneasy sleeping in the same room with someone I just met, unless it’s George Clooney. In that case I’d request one single bed. It wouldn’t be a problem at all.