We recently reported how the hostel industry in Bangkok is set to grow exponentially this year, but it looks like the concept of holiday rentals – popularised by the Air BnB site – are also sticking their oar in too.
Air BnB recently published their top 16 fastest growing neighbourhoods for rentals across the world and Bangkok’s trendy Banglamphu neighbourhood came in second place, just behind Chūō-ku district in Osaka.
Via Into-Asia
It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise as the area is already so popular with short term accommodation, spanning as it does the backpacking hub of Khao San Road, together with Wat Sangwet and Wat Bowonniwet for starters. The area is also only a short walk from the tourist ‘must-visits’ of Wat Pho and the Grand Palace.
Exciting nightlife, markets and a dollop of Thai culture all contribute to make Banglamphu a hub for holiday rentals. The number of renters in the area grew by a huge 1,230 percent between 2014 and 2015 – although that’s still small fry compared to Osaka’s Chūō-ku where renters grew by an unprecedented 7,000 percent.
Other Asian neighbourhoods cashing in on the Air BnB craze include Brickfields – Malaysia’s Little India – and the Bukit Peninsula in Bali, which is known for being a veritable surfer’s paradise.
Offering a mix of shared and private rooms as well as entire houses or apartments, Air BnB has something to suit every holiday maker, regardless of budget or sensibility. Prices are often cheaper than that of hotels and, by staying in a local home, offer an arguably more authentic travelling experience.
A quick search on Air BnB for a private room in the Banglamphu neighbourhood sees homely suites like these ones starting from around ฿550 per night – a bargain in anyone’s book.
Featured image is by justin_vidamo of Khao San Road and used under a Creative Commons licence
