What We Lost When Hotels Stopped Being Housing

Residential hotels used to play a huge role in the American housing landscape, providing flexible accommodation for anyone who needed it, from the rich and famous to the barely scraping by. Slate staff writer Henry Grabar argues that a return of extended-stay hotels could help solve some of today’s housing market dysfunction.

KNKX’s Will James reports on what happened after tenants of a residential hotel in Tacoma, Wash., were forced out—into a housing market with very few affordable options.

You can read his entire series on the Merkle Hotel here, and Henry Grabar’s article on extended stay hotels here.

This episode also features reporting on the US housing shortage from NPR’s Chris Arnold.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.