The majority take a democratic approach to dining, accepting guests on first-come first-serve basis for the mysterious evening.
In many cities, you must register, get a permit, or obtain a license before you list your property or accept guests.
It is still unclear exactly how the new owner intends to remake the hotel, which stopped accepting guests in August and is now undergoing renovations.
The James Chicago, the second hotel from the New York restaurateur Stephen Hanson and the Equinox Fitness Club founder, Danny Errico, begins accepting guests later this month, with an official opening on April 20.
The practice, known as a soft opening, of accepting guests before a hotel is finished isn't new and isn't always a problem.
The platforms that enable this geography are themselves biased: a Harvard Business School study showed that Airbnb hosts are less likely to accept guests with stereotypically African-American names.
"Instant Book reduces the potential for bias because hosts automatically accept guests who meet these objective custom settings they have put in place," the report said.
During the past few years of ownership struggles, rising rents have pushed out many artists, and in August, the hotel stopped accepting guests and was closed for renovations by the new owner, Joseph Chetrit, a developer.
The hotel desk with the sign saying, "Dial M for meal service" may be one gag too many, but it's nice to see the Bates Motel still accepting guests, apparently somewhere near London.
It's a battle that Ms. Jones, along with her neighbor of 30 years, Katy Abel, improbably won against the Cooper Square Hotel, a 21-story luxury tower with 145 rooms that has risen past her roof garden and will begin accepting guests within a few weeks.
