Personal Sleeping Pods May Replace Hotels

The future of the hotel experience may drastically decrease in size pending the growth and success of podtels.

England’s Podtime specializes in making and distributing pod-like hotel rooms that can accommodate one guest inside its cylindrical space. The sleeping quarters already are catching on at some airports in Japan where travelers with long stopovers or delayed flights can squeeze in a nap in a quiet, safe space.

The pods are equipped with LED lighting, a mirror and storage space beneath for luggage. Occupants can also pay a surcharge for extra features like a memory-foam mattress, shelves to store items while napping or a key-less entry system.

Whether travelers want to nap, spend the full night or just escape the world in these 3-foot-by-7-foot pods, podtels could easily eclipse the traditional hotel stay as guests can stay in a podtel for five nights for the same price as a one-night stay in a hotel. This low-cost feature is particularly attractive to budget travelers who aren’t as choosy when it comes to where they lay their heads at night.

Podtime is currently slated to build its first official podtels (an accommodation made up exclusively of these sleeping pods) in Tel Aviv and Helsinki, with plans to distribute them to airports, as well.