From Lose Friends Radio comes this ‘Believe it or not’ segment Number 2, called ‘Belt up’. You can read the transcript below, or listen to the original broadcast by clicking on the green play button:
Jonar_Nader_02_BION_Belt_up.mp3
Believe it or not, according to Jonar Nader, ‘bed belts’ similar to seat-belts, are being introduced by a five-star hotel in Japan.
The Tokyo-based hotel introduced the bed-belts as a result three outstanding court cases by guests who are suing the hotel for injuries sustained during earthquakes which caused them to fall out of bed. One guest hit his head on the side table, while another cut his hand on broken glass.
“We know that it seems like an overreaction but don’t forget that when seat-belts were first introduced in cars, people thought that was going over board, and many resisted using them until they were made compulsory” said the hotel manager.
Not long ago a fuss was made over motorbike helmets and more recently, over bicycle helmets. However, the bed-belts are only required on floors 39 and above, where vibrations from earthquakes are felt more intensely than on the lower floors. Sceptics are accusing the insurance companies of standover tactics, nicknaming this project “The 39 Steps”, in reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1935 thriller.
The bed-belts have also drawn criticism from the fire department who is concerned that many people in Japan smoke in bed, so in case of fire, guests might be trapped in their bed. The hotel has undertaken to make all rooms above the 39th floor, non-smoking. This is not a popular move given how slow the Japanese community has been to adopt no-smoking policies. JAL flights, for example, were only recently declared non-smoking, and that was mainly due to industry pressure, particularly by Code-Share partner Qantas whose frequent flyers had complained about having to board JAL’s smoking flights against their wishes.
The company that makes the bed-belts is undertaking market research into the design of the belts and experimenting with future models. Gadget lovers will be pleased to see the variety of attachments including controls for the radio, television, and lights from a panel installed in the buckle.
Investors are keeping an eye out for what could be a lucrative market, especially if insurance companies make these safety measures compulsory in the near future.
Believe it… or not.
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