Slashdot Mirror
Coffin Hotels Opening Near You
An anonymous reader writes "Britain will soon see the launch of a chain of automated, short-term hotels for travelers and businesspeople." From the article: "Each soundproof cabin will contain a sofa that converts into a double bed, a pull down desk, closet space, adjustable mood lighting, a shower, wireless Internet, an iPod connection and a flat-screen TV. Check-in and check-out will be automated, but food and drinks will be available."
Given the fact that in general, British public areas are usually filthy in terms of grime and litter, I don't think this is going to work.
How do you know who slept in one of these "pods" before you, or what state you'll find one in ?
Some of the B&B's I've stayed in here have been downright nasty, as well as some hotels and hostels.
We can't even keep our hospitals clean.
Also, everything gets vandalised here, even the windows on the trains have graffiti scratched onto them.
I can imagine "parties" occuring in these pods, where 4 or 5 kids crowd into them, drink themselves into a coma and vomit all over the place - don't think it could happen ? - heh, try living here.
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
Expect to see a lot of these places springing up by 2012. And dont expect them to be cheap.
I'm living near london now but very happy that I will be in another country by 2012. London will be hell on earth. Good luck to the locals!
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Having these hotels in hub airports would probably make them pretty popular with those who miss connections or have cancelled flights. This fall, I was going through Detroit, and they cancelled my connection with the next one in 8 hrs. Exhausted, and with a toddler in tow (who desperately needed a nap), I gladly plunked down $220 for 7 hrs in a Westin (most expensive nap ever). I would have loved to have had a $70 capsule hotel as an option.
I'd love to see airports, train stations, and maybe a few other places have short term rentable units even smaller.
Imagine a space 9 feet long, 3 feet high, and 3 feet deep. At one end, a 2 foot wide by 2 foot deep table on which could be placed a carry on bag. An electrical outlet could be available for charging laptops and such. The other 7 feet in length (2.13 meters) would be a padded, easily cleanable surface. Set in the wall at the back would be two one time use cleaning rags, a one time use pillow, and a cheap sheet & blanket. Well filtered airflow with a CO and CO2 alarm built in would be a requirement of course.
You put in a credit card, it snaps a picture of the unit and then it opens. You are agreeing to a contract that says:
1. If its not clean, you have 1 minute to decide that and reject the unit.
2. You agree to use it for $x/hour.
3. You agree to a $50 fee if you do not leave it clean.
Assuming it opens, and is clean, you take the first of the two cleaning rags and wipe it down. Toss the rag, and pull out the sheet and blanket, the one time pillow and you've got a bed. Plug in the laptop to charge, pull the door closed behind you and sleep. Both you and the laptop get a couple of hours rest and recharging.
On leaving, you toss the sheets and pillow away, wipe down the bed with the other rag, take your stuff and leave. When you close the door another picture is taken of the "finished" state of the unit in case you've left a mess. A short cleaning cycle runs using fresh air, UV light, and who knows what else. The unit is ready for the next person.
Given most of these places have enough height to them, you could easily stack two.
In an airport, having them in the secure part of the terminal combined with good strong wall makes the security threat pretty minimal.
There are many times in airports I'd have been willing to pay $30 or more for a few hours that way.
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