Capsule hotels are Japan's quirky contribution to architecture; a hotel of very small unit, or in some cases just one bed in a tube. The capsule provided cheap overnight accommodation and lacks the amenities of traditional hotels. However, some capsule hotels are quaint, and may suspend you in a tree, or even let you sleep in a renovated old sewer pipe.
Capsule
Hotels
'15feb10
Tubohotel more
This hotel does exactly what it says on the tin, I mean, tube. Ever wanted to sleep in a concrete tube? No? Well you wouldn’t be unusual in that respect but these aren’t just any concrete tubes, they are the latest in hotel design with glass fronting that open straight …
'14oct13
Attrap’ Rêvesmore
Camping hasn’t changed much since the Israelites traveled around the desert carrying animal skin dwellings on their backs. About time, then, for designer Pierre Stephane Dumas to create these amazing bubble-dwellings that allow you the unparalleled experience of slumbering beneath the stars while still being able to see the little …
'14sep22
Nakagin Capsule Towermore
This historical building is an example of metabolism a movement in Japanese architecture that drew inspiration from how living organisms arrange themselves. Metabolists viewed society as an organism and the Nakagin Tower is one of the few remaining examples of their work. Each capsule is like a cell, a self-contained …
'13oct30
Suneta Hostel Khaosanmore
A combination of the Western backpacker hostel and the Japanese pod hotel; this unique venue is aimed at the backpacker community that congregates on the famous Khaosan road in Bangkok. It is built completely from wood in the traditional style of the Bangkok old town. Your sleeping pods come with …
'13aug2
SwissTubes more
SwissTubes and the attached campsite are located on the shores of Lake Thun surrounded by snow-capped mountains. A nearby nature reserve will convince you that all those writers and philosophers who came to this location over the centuries were right – it really is a place of inspiration. The tubes …
'13jan9
Free Spirit Spheresmore
In cult 1960s show, ‘The Prisoner’ if you tried to escape from The Village a Machiavellian sphere would swallow you up. Luckily, these spheres are not the tools of a creepy fascist state. Just look at them, suspended in a web of ropes in the fertile treetops, they wouldn’t harm …
'12jun18
Singapore Airlines Suitesmore
You’ve got business class, world traveler class, first-class, premium class; well this must be called super awesome class. Yes, in fact, that is what I’m calling it from now on. So take a ride in Singapore Airline’s new ‘Super Awesome Class’. * Let’s start with your leather armchair, it is …
'12jun1
CitizenM Amsterdammore
When you arrive at Citizen M, the unusual check-in is the first thing you notice. Rather like online check-in for flights, you just enter your details into a computer terminal and you are then issued with your room key. The ‘M’ stands for ‘Mobile Citizen of the World’ – it …
'12may29
Das Park Hotelmore
Ever wondered what it might be like to live in a sewer pipe? No? Me neither. But the clever people at Das Park Hotel did and now they have opened a hotel where the rooms are made from old sewer pipes. Very green. Or should that be brown? To be …
'12may24
Rotel more
Capsule hotels are in vogue right now. The German tour company, Rotel was always ahead of the game by providing capsule [hotels on wheels](https://www.uniqhotels.com/bus-hotels) since 1945. No matter how much you might enjoy staying in a five-star hotel, you will always be stationary, trapped in one district. So, to feed …
'12apr30
9 Hours Capsule Hotelmore
The idea behind this trendy [capsule hotel](https://www.uniqhotels.com/capsule-hotels) chain in Kyoto, Narita, and Tokyo is that you get to sleep for ‘9 hours’. If sleeping for 9 hours is your idea of ultimate luxury, you are working too hard. Anyway, the concept here is simplicity and traditional Japanese hospitality. You check-in, …
'12apr20
Capsule Inn Sapporomore
This capsule hotel is unusual because it is male-only. Sorry girls. I’m not sure why it is single-sex but aside from that, this capsule hotel is fairly typical of its kind. Expect to leave your shoes at the door, put your things in the locker room, and take advantage of …
'12apr17
Yotel more
At Yotel, you get to spend the night in a luxury yacht cabin while having all the advantages of being in London, New York, or Amsterdam. Seasickness will not be a problem here Captain! Each tiny room is a triumph of design. The queen-sized beds are retractable and some rooms …
'12apr13
Capsule Hotel Asahi Plazamore
Popular with travelers and drunk businessmen, the Japanese capsule hotel has caught imaginations all around the world and this is the original – first opening its doors in 1979. You will need to put your shoes away and change into slippers on arrival and then you are shown to your …
'12apr8
Capsule Hotel more
F.A.S.T (Free Architecture Surf Terrain) is an alternative surfing community that has a hostel, an all-summer beach party, and a number of ‘survival capsules’. These originally came from an off-shore oil rig and are now available to stay in. There are a few pods you can choose from, each with …
