You know the feeling – you’ve been traveling for an eternity, you’re completely whacked, all you want is to drift off into a blissful snooze before catching your next flight.

But those airport chairs are hard, so very hard and the arm-rest keeps digging into your head.

The latest trend of “pod” or “capsule” hotels might be just the solution to this perennial traveling dilemma.

Take, for example, Yotel’s London and Amsterdam hotels. Situated in airport terminals they offer futuristic pod rooms for stays as short as four hours – perfect for “nappers in transit”.

Capsule living
With cabin-like rooms measuring just seven square meters, it won’t take you long to grasp the space-saving capsule concept.

But Yotel promises that there’s as much in this tiny space as you’ll find in most four star hotels. And with talk of organic cotton sheets, flat screen TVs and 24 hour cabin service, they might just be right.

The micro hotel trend certainly seems to be catching on. Originating in Japan, catering for inebriated businessmen too scared to face their wives, teeny tiny hotels have now spread throughout Europe and the US.

Broom cupboard benefits
Cost and convenience are the main reasons why travelers are opting to risk a bout of claustrophobia to stay in these ultra-modern hotel joints, as well as the draw of something genuinely fresh and different.

And with many of the hotels located in pricey city and airport destinations, their rates are certainly in tune with today’s economic climate.

Where to find your pod
If you’re thinking of joining the capsule revolution, check out Yotel’s airport chain, The Pod or The Jane (New York), citizenM (Amsterdam) or StayOrange.com (Kuala Lumpur). For an authentic Japanese pod experience, check out the deals on flights to Tokyo, and head to the Capsule Inn Akihabara.

Travel fad or fresh innovation, it looks like capsule hotels are here to stay, for the time being at least. So take a break from arm-rest-itis and give them a whirl, just be sure to leave your cat at home.

Photos from Flickr. Photo credits (in order of placement): Yotel by donutshead, Tokyo Caspule Hotel by Matteo Mazzoni.

Tags: airport hotels, amsterdam hotels, capsule hotels, cheap hotels, hotel recommendations, kuala lumpur hotels, london hotels, new york hotels, pod hotels, tokyo hotels, travel recommendations, travel tips, travel trends

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 26th, 2009 at 9:18 am and is filed under travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.