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Pod Hotels

Pod hotels are becoming as popular for their cool design solutions to small spaces as for their price tag.

Pod hotels are re vamped Japanese capsule hotels.

Pod hotels are inspired by the Japanese capsule hotels which have been around Asia for decades, the first t opened on February 1, 1979. These capsules were stacked side by side and two units top to bottom, with steps providing access to the second level rooms - just imagine rows of microwaves on top of each other.

The target clientel would and where businessmen too tired or far away to make the trip home who would pay Y4,000 (US$42).
pod-hotel
On the left you can see the view from within a capsule at a pod hotel near Shinjuku-eki train station.

In Europe and the US Pod hotels are aimed at price-conscious, hip and stylish travelers who want all the convenience of location and fashionable design at greatly reduced rates.

Does space really matter in hotel rooms? Most people just get back to their hotel rooms to sleep before heading our early the next day. They are great for a short stay or for people who don't spend much time in their hotel rooms. A growing segment of the hotel industry believes that, travelers will happily stay in truly tiny spaces as long as they are well designed and affordable. But those who suffer from claustrophobia should book elsewhere.

In Europe, check out Qbic Hotels (www.qbichotels.com) a Dutch company which is behind a mini-chain of high-design pod hotels. The low cost design hotel offers great discounts and quality accommodation. Central to this is the Cubi, exciting cube-shaped living space. Each Cubi features a practical configuration, individually designed and built with attractive materials, offering great sleeping comfort and a unique experience. Each Cubi comes with different coloured mood lighting – try ‘mellow yellow’, ‘red romance’ or ‘deep purple love’. There are self service check-in terminals, and ‘grab and go corners’ providing home-made food and other amenities like toothbrushes, chargers, condoms and phone cards.

The first Qbic opened in Amsterdam's financial district in the spring, and two more will open in Antwerp and Maastricht.

Pod Hotel in Antwerp

Qbic Hotel Antwerp was to be located right in the city center of Antwerp but now is looking to move its operations to a bigger property in order to accommodate demand, despite the fact that the hotel hasn't even opened yet. The original location was the Van Ommeren building, but the less than 60 rooms available just weren't enough.

There is still no word on where the new location or opening date will be, but we do know that the Qbic Antwerp property will adhere to the same quirky pod hotel design as the chain's first property in Amsterdam. CUBI Rooms rates will start at €69.00 (about US$89).

More Pod Hotels in Europe

In London, compact, futuristic first-class cabin shaped easyHotel (www.easyhotel.com). The range starts with the Small Room (with or without a window).

London Heathrow’s Terminal 4, Gatwick South Terminal and Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport are the locations for the Yotel (www.yotel.com) where “cabins” can be booked from 25 pounds a night (about US$38). A Premium Cabin will set you back 40 pounds in the London Yotels, and 60 Euros (about US$77) in Amsterdam. Cabins can also be booked in four-hour blocks.

In Basel, Switzerland, you can get a foot in the door from around US$57. The hotel claims, the earlier you book, the less you pay. The easyHotel franchise has extended into Hungary and Cyprus and will eventually spread into Dubai, North Africa and India.

Pod Hotels in the US

The Pod Hotel (www.thepodhotel.com), New York, offers stylish centrally located digs at 230 E 51st St. Just don’t attempt to swing a cat by the tail. If you’re sharing the bath and toilet, your Single Pod Room could start from as little as US$89 a night. There’s a flat-screen TV, an iPOD dock and free Wireless Internet.

The Jane (www.thejanenyc.com), in New York’s West Village, has all the efficiency of a pod hotel, albeit with a bit more character. Originally built in 1908 as a hotel for sailors with cabin-like rooms. The Jane was restored in 2008 to become a convenient and whimsical option for budget travellers. Standard “Cabins” are a cosy 50sq ft and come with single beds, wall-mounted luggage rack, free WiFi, 23-inch LCD TVs, DVD players and iPod docks. Captain’s Cabins feature the same amenities, but range in size from 150sq ft to 250sq ft and have queen or king beds. Bathrooms are shared, and rates start from US$99.

Pod Hotels in Asia

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Tune Hotels (www.tunehotels.com). The flagship 173-room Tune Hotel at No. 316 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman is reasonably central with rates priced at just RM9.99 (around US$3). Some rooms at certain times of the year start from as low as RM1, but expect to pay extra for amenities – towel rental is RM5, five hours of air-conditioning is RM6.50, and WiFi is RM12 per day.

The Tune Hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, is located in the largest lifestyle ‘hypermall’ in East Malaysia. Joining shortly are Tune Hotels in Kuching, Sarawak; Georgetown, Penang and the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang. The no-frills hotel group hopes to emulate the success of high-flying AirAsia, pushing its marketing – and bookings – online. The ever-ambitious Fernandes aims to have 100 Tune Hotels in Asia by 2011 in destinations that include The Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.

Capsule hotels - the real thing.

Tokyo, Japan at the Asakusa Riverside Capsule Hotel (www.asakusa-capsule.jp/english) where a capsule room starts as low as Y3,000 (US$31). There is a ladies floor too. There are separate baths and changing rooms for men and women, and complimentary toothbrushes, towels and razors (for men) and toothbrushes and robes (for women). A small kitchen area is available for cooking up a bowl of cup noodles. Bathe, soak, slip into something comfortable and then squeeze into your room to watch TV.

The Capsule Inn Akihabara (www.capsuleinn.com) has rooms for Y4,000 a night. The ground floor lounge offers high-speed Internet, WiFi, and three computers to check e-mail free of charge. Women travelling in a group of two or four can try the Group Capsule that offers the added convenience of a small common space with table and chairs next to the slide-in capsules.

A capsule room at Capsule Hotel Asahiplaza Shinsaibashi (www.asahiplaza.co.jp) in Osaka, Japan will set you back Y2,800, though you can take a five-hour ‘Capsule Nap’ for Y2,100. Capsules have TVs, towels and not much else. The hotel has a sauna, a public bath and a lounge that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Antwerp has everything to offer to make your stay exciting, whether you like to spend your money on a luxury hotel in Antwerp or in a budget hotel in Antwerp. All hotels in Antwerp offer you charm and comfort, ideal if you are a business traveller but also appealing for family holidays. Most hotels in Antwerpen are a little cheaper than their counterparts in Brussels.

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Check out affordable Belgium bed & breakfast in Antwerp. B&B represent excellent value. Compared to a hotel room of the same price, you'll get a spacious room full of character and individuality, amazing breakfasts and great hosts that love what they are doing.

Check out other Hotels in Antwerp or return from Pod Hotels to Antwerp Tourist Guide Home Page