You’ll never get me in one of them, I thought when I saw images of the world’s first Capsule Hotel in Osaka, Japan, which opened in 1979.
Rows of internal sleeping capsules were stacked on one another, with each pod big enough for just one person to lie down but not sit up. Everyone joked that they looked like coffins.
Fast-forward 50 years or so and what started as a convenient and cheap place for Japanese businessmen to kip for the night has turned into a global phenomenon.
Capsule hotels have popped up not just in Japan and Asia, but across the world, with affordability being the driving factor.
The biggest of them all has just opened in London – the Zedwell Capsule Hotel at Piccadilly Circus. It’s home to nearly a thousand ‘capsules’ and costs £30 a night.
Despite saying I never would, I’m keen to try it. Might I like Japanese-style capsule hotels after all?
The hotel’s West End location is brilliant, right next to the Tube and opposite the Trocadero. Outside it’s all flashing bright lights and Prada billboards; once inside, however, it’s like a cocoon – they’re even described by the hotel as ‘capsule cocoons’.
There’s not a window in sight.
Jo Kessel checks into the world’s biggest capsule hotel – the Zedwell Capsule – in Piccadilly Circus
‘You’ll never get me in one of them,’ Jo Kessel though, after seeing images of the world’s first Capsule Hotel in Osaka, Japan , which opened in 1979
The hotel’s West End location is brilliant, right next to the Tube and opposite the Trocadero
The Zedwell chain of five hotels specialises in turning confined, internal spaces into affordable accommodation.
One of its properties is even a converted underground car park.
This is the group’s first capsule hotel, however, and the focus is on restorative sleep. Decor is minimalistic.
Wood and shades of grey are designed to calm the senses. And while you’d imagine this would be a magnet for teens and backpackers, the clientele is far broader.
There are smart men in office attire clutching laptop bags. One woman is dressed top to toe in Burberry.
There’s even a family. One of their children, the parents say, saw a video of Zedwell Capsule Hotel Piccadilly Circus on TikTok and encouraged Mum and Dad to bring them all.
The hotel’s capsules are divided into dorms and while most are mixed-sex, I’ve chosen an all-female one.
Of course, it’s not a dorm as you know it – it’s a space filled with what looks like a series of shuttered-up bunk beds.
There are eight capsules in Jo’s dorm, while other dorms have up to a hundred. They’re all for solo use
There are eight in mine; other dorms have up to a hundred. They’re all for solo use. My capsule’s number is 1,302. It’s on top of another pod and is accessed by a few steps.
I raise the side shutter, crawl in and… what have we here? The walls are a stylish pale oak. The mattress (Hypnos) and linen (Egyptian cotton) are good quality.
The pillow is as soft as clouds. It might not be a regular fancy hotel room, but at 7ft 3in by 3ft 4in it’s big enough and has everything I need – hooks for bags, charging sockets and a mirror.
No TV, but the hotel’s ethos is sleep, not entertainment.
Top tip – kneeling is a no-no. Stay low to avoid bashing your head on the ceiling. For bigger bags or suitcases, guests can book a locker.
Will I sleep? I ask my neighbour Nia who’s on her third consecutive night here – we meet while brushing teeth.
Like a hostel there are shared showers, sinks and WCs, which are new, with shiny chrome. Nia’s a fashion student from the West Midlands and booked her cocoon for a rock-bottom introductory rate of £20 a night.
It’s cheaper than halls of residence. ‘You’ll sleep better than you think,’ she promises. Later I pull the shutter down, lock it from the inside and wait for panic to set in. It doesn’t.
Jo reports that, inside the capsule, the walls are a stylish pale oak, and the mattress (Hypnos) and linen (Egyptian cotton) are good quality
Instead I find my capsule cocoon warm and cosseting. The only downside is the lack of an ensuite toilet. Rather like camping, you’ll need to limit fluid intake to avoid overnight nips to the loo.
I fire up my Kindle, read a few chapters and before you know it I’ve nodded off and don’t wake up till 7.30am (the capsules have sound-insulated walls).
The hotel doesn’t serve breakfast because there are countless options on the doorstep in Chinatown, Covent Garden and the like.
Or you could grab a coffee from Pret. For the location, £30 is a steal – stay elsewhere nearby and you could be looking at £400 a night.
If you don’t live in London it’s cheaper than a taxi or train home, and is well situated for a morning meeting. It would also work for a weekend break.
No surprise that demand is high. The capsule hotel is more or less sold out until the end of October.
Indeed, such is the popularity of the capsule concept that Geoffrey Volpatti from Criterion Hospitality, the group that owns Zedwell, tells me that they will be opening their second capsule hotel just off Leicester Square early next year.
If confined spaces aren’t your thing, then stay away. But I’m a convert. Having said I’d never stay in a capsule, now I think I’d do it again. For just £30 a night, it’s hard to resist.
AloJapan.com