Smartphones and tablets improve almost faster than consumers can keep up with, and the apps designed for them change even more quickly. That means that there is a lot of opportunity for plagiarism. But surely sometimes it’s just a coincidence, right? It’s not out of the question that two developers could realistically be trying to fulfill the same need.
This week has brought us one more heated internet debate: Is hotel application Tonight by Japan’s GREE a rip-off of North American app Hotel Tonight, or are their similarities just coincidence?
Internet users are claiming that GREE Inc. (known for their social networking app and profusion of social game apps) has simply lifted the idea for their newest app, dubbed Tonight, from the popular American app Hotel Tonight. Each app advertises same-day reservations at low rates, and net users are pointing out that their websites are strikingly similar.
▼ The website for GREE’s service promises “Tonight’s hotel, reserved in ten seconds.”
▼ They advertise carefully chosen luxury hotels for classy adults in just three taps and a swipe.
Hotel Tonight’s Google Play page advertises:
✔ Curated selection of hotels to make your choice easy
✔ Top-rated hotels: we only work with places where we’d want to stay, too
✔ Super easy to book a room (book in 10 seconds – just 3 taps and a swipe!)
That is actually quite incriminating!
▼ Hotel Tonight’s website design is a little less minimalist, if only because they have more information to show.
▼ They’re “taking over the globe” starting with North America and Europe, but now they’ve got competition in Asia.
▼ Hotel Tonight has gotten plenty of press, as you can see. Their tagline is “The night is young,”
While the branding is very similar, the way each app works seems a bit different. The Google Play page for Tonight states that you can search based on where you are. The app will use your location to search nearby hotels, plotting your options on a map.
While Tonight is currently only available in Tokyo (they have plans to expand in time), Hotel Tonight lets you search by city. Otherwise, their results look a lot more like a standard search.
▼ After all, pictures of hotels are pictures of hotels.
The interesting thing is that Tonight does not clearly show affiliation with GREE Inc. A reviewer (under a screen name meaning “from 2 channel”) on the iTunes app store complains of GREE’s seemingly shady behavior:
“I don’t see any merit to using this.”
“Why are you hiding that it’s produced by GREE?”
“It seems like you’re trying to hide that low ‘kompu gacha’ image.”
“Kompu gacha” (or “complete drop”) is a strategy used by a lot of so-called ‘pay-to-win’ smartphone games where a player can only get certain rare characters or items after they have bought the full set. In other words, GREE may not only be copying a lucrative model, but could also be trying to squeeze more money out of the users than is otherwise apparent.
I’ll leave it up to our readers to decide whether GREE is innocently moving in a new direction here or simply ripping off a successful design. What do you think? Are they trying to fill a niche market or is the fact that the company is not even including its name on this new app somehow telling? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: Net Lab
Images: Tonight, Hotel Tonight, Google Play (1, 2)
Tsujihan sushi bowl restaurant goes viral with foreign tourists, but is it worth the hype?
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
7-Eleven Japan’s cooked-in-store takoyaki is here! How does it fare against the street food king?
Kinotake Mother AI developed to study Japan’s divide between chocolate cookie snacks
Tsujihan sushi bowl restaurant goes viral with foreign tourists, but is it worth the hype?
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
7-Eleven Japan’s cooked-in-store takoyaki is here! How does it fare against the street food king?
Kinotake Mother AI developed to study Japan’s divide between chocolate cookie snacks
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Hage? Yes, way! Artist assembles all-star line-up of all your favorite bald anime characters
Almost all Japanese women say they dislike random gacha/blind-box toys in survey
J-pop…maybe J-metal?…band Asunojokei blends genres, wins fans in Japan and abroad【Interview】
New survey reveals which Studio Ghibli heroine Japanese audiences relate to the most
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Tifa’s Final Fantasy VII bar is going to pop up in real-world Tokyo
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Studio Ghibli croquettes not to eat, but to keep your stuff in, going on sale in Japan[Photos]
Pokémon hot spring footbath opening in Japan this spring
Secret staff cafeteria in Tokyo is a hidden gem you won’t find in travel guides
Move aside, convenience store egg sando – there’s a better version of the iconic sandwich in Japan
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Hage? Yes, way! Artist assembles all-star line-up of all your favorite bald anime characters
Almost all Japanese women say they dislike random gacha/blind-box toys in survey
J-pop…maybe J-metal?…band Asunojokei blends genres, wins fans in Japan and abroad【Interview】
New survey reveals which Studio Ghibli heroine Japanese audiences relate to the most
Japan’s new “painful sadness” snacks are a deliciously mysterious linguistics lesson【Taste test】
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
A look back on 40 years of Japanese schools banning stuff
New Evangelion lingerie and roomwear range features five favourite characters and a penguin!
Stay in a Japanese hotel room…with a train inside it!
The dream of riding Final Fantasy Chocobos is coming to Tokyo VR centers
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Life-size Nier: Automata sword going on sale, includes 2B’s voice if you swing it the right way