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When smaller is better
Tiny, functional (and affordable) hotel rooms may be the hottest trend in the hospitality industry.
“Tiny hotel rooms are popping up all over the world, with many reporting great success,” says News.com.au.
The site mentions The Jane, described as a “tiny, red-brick hotel overlooking America’s Hudson River in West Village, Manhattan’s ultra- Bohemian neighbourhood,” where “space is at a premium.”
"In my room, I can turn around, and that’s about it,” said Kai Neuhaus, 33, of Germany.
The 150 rooms there are just 50 square feet of 4.6 square meters.
Pod hotels can generate higher returns on real estate investment. And by their very nature, they’re not service oriented, so they have low requirements for staffing, said Bjorn Hanson, dean of New York University’s Tisch Center for Hospitality.
"To the extent that pod rooms feature both low real estate costs and low payroll costs – which are the two biggest costs for hotels in NYC – they operate on a niche market which has extremely favourable economics,” he said.
As early as next spring, British chain Yotel plans to open at a new location on Times Square, complete with 669 "capsules” of less than 160 square feet (15 metres squared) for US$150 a night.
Already present at London and Amsterdam airports, the British chain already proposes cabins inspired by Japan’s capsule hotels, complete with purple neon lighting and featuring a bed, retractable desk and shower.
These hotels promise "micro-luxury:” air conditioning, a safe, a flat-screen television and free Wi-Fi. The Jane also offers its clients a bathrobe and slippers.
By David Wilkening
David
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