Mostly hotel offerings, however. And frankly, that would be the least of my concerns regarding living in a hotel in a temporary capacity.

A slight distraction:
In many cases you can make as many changes as you'd like with a co-op/condo rental or even sublet, as long as you have the owner's permission (in writing, to be safe). I have seen 2 yr. sublets where the new occupant has easily spent $50K -$100K to change the unit more to their liking. Permanent changes, not cosmetic like paint colors. Upon conclusion of sublet, the owner keeps all unless he insists on return to original condition.

your posts have not always included this.

i asked lifestyle questions and you immediately brought up kitchens, which i had addressed previously.

good point as i was assuming and only referring to building owner as opposed to unit owner

Because the article included it; I assumed you had read the article.

Not really. You asked lifestyle questions, I answered, and then you responded to the ones about kitchens. @:-)

Owning his own home would give him privacy the billionaire desires.. moving from one table to another at different hotels.. seems to me he needs a place of his own to stay sometimes..

I, too, have been homeless, for over five years now. I live in hotels, rarely for more than two weeks at a time. (Though a handful of times during that stretch I have rented a serviced apartment for a month or two.)

Of course there are pluses and minuses (and I sort of cheat because I have my mom's house, where I store some things), but overall it's a lifestyle that I enjoy.

What's in your backpack?

What's your occupation? Which sort of accomodations do you stay in?

After many years as a consultant, I am now a businessperson based in Qatar. It works because I travel a lot, and Qatar is an unusual environment in that five-star hotels with corporate negotiated rates cost not much more than apartments, especially if one checks out of the hotel when one travels.

Qatar is really a buyer's market for hotels, with a saturated supply and decent rates (though low standards). I spend most of my time at the Hyatt, W, Sheraton, InterCon, and Four Seasons, but there is a proliferation of four- and five-star properties, all of which I've tried (two Ritz-Carltons, Marriott, Renaissance, Ramada, Courtyard, Kempinski residences, two Movenpicks), with more opening all the time (St. Regis opening on 02/29; Hilton soon after; another InterCon and Crowne Plaza in about a year; another Four Seasons, Kempinski, and Shangri-La under construction; Sol Melia, Mandarin Oriental, and Park Hyatt planned), plus a few upscale boutique hotels and local chains, in addition to a shortage of three-star-type places.

Hotels in that region sounds smart.. economies of scale helps with the amortizations of respective hotels.. These hotels in the region gets the business to pay the bills..

Having a fixed residence, much like having children, may undermine privacy. Both make a person generally less free and more easily subject to monitoring or pressure from other parties. Living in hotels is not ordinarily going to add to one's privacy protection but one way of getting additional privacy is by keeping a distance from others, and this kind of lifestyle can be made to try to do just that.

I like the way you think. I completely agree.

Again, agreed. Staying in the same hotels over a long period inevitably means that the staff recognizes you -- which of course is a benefit, and is by far the best way to get good service -- but it's nice to be able to pick up and get a change of scenery anytime.

The three F's.

Freedom
Flexibility
Fun

Thank you!!! All this talk about privacy and hotel options misses the point. This lifestyle is FUN! It certainly isn't for everyone, or forever, but those who are considering it should know that it is indeed a viable option to attain the three F's.

Yeesh, I'm a total landlubber but I'd love to live on a ship. So long as it was always going to interesting places. That "Residensea" thing was interesting, but of course in actuality it becomes like any homeowners' association with associated pros and cons. Doing it on your own offers maximum flexibility. Meanwhile I have a wonderful dog so I'm not living on a ship (or a plane) anytime soon.