I did watch both pieces and the general thrust of each was the fact that most airlines are making big bucks, and paying their F/O's peanuts negating the affordability of a hotel room for a quality night's sleep. I say F/O's since this seems to be the focus, are Captain's typically paying for hotel rooms? Do any crew members share hotel rooms, or is this not cool?
Speaking with crew members around 80% commute in order to fly a regional jet or turboprop. I agree with Sully that we all deserve a good night's sleep, as the flying public deserves well rested crew members, and courtesy of 3407 this needs to get looked at more closely because in Sully's eyes the "big one" has already happened. I agree.
How about If for instance the carrier provided a $200/mo. hotel allowance which were reimbursed via your monthly expenses. If pushed by the appropriate parties could this work? I am using the assumption of four hotel nights at $50/night, which may be a little light for NYC. I also use the term "other parties" loosely since the FAA is going to be the last organization to jump in on this one, an organization that is broken beyond repair at this point.