POD HOTELS

Luxurious, filled with designer touches, compact and, most importantly, cheap enough for the budget traveller. Here comes the pod, says Sean Dodson

YOU can’t see your hotel room when you’re sleeping, so does it matter how big it is? If not, then why are small rooms only to be found in budget hotels, with pitiful standards to boot. Isn’t it about time budget travellers had the choice of choosing functional rooms with cutting-edge design and all mod-cons, without having to pay for high-end design temples like the Hempel in London or the Murano in Paris? The answer, of course, is yes and comes in the form of the pod hotel.

Caught somewhere between a first-class aircraft cabin and a boutique hotel room, and inspired by the compact simplicity of Japanese capsule hotels, this spring sees the arrival of Yotel in London and Qbic in Amsterdam – and they are not the only ones. These spanking-new pod hotels are filled with chic design touches but cost a fraction of the price of boutique hotels, finally giving travellers the choice between traditional urban inns and horrible city-centre hostels. And you can even book them for just a few hours.

There may not always be a view, or even a window, but it’s affordable luxury, with mood lighting, rotating beds and even flat-screen TVs in some, all made possible by shrinking the size of the room. It’s a new dawn in the life of the budget city-break hotel. The pods have arrived. Why did no one think of it before?

Yotel
LONDON, UK

Yotel is the latest bright idea from entrepreneur Simon Woodroffe, the brains behind restaurant chain Yo! Sushi. The futuristic pod hotels are set to open at Gatwick Airport in May and Heathrow Airport later in summer. Yotel takes the concept of the Japanese capsule hotel and adjusts it for a European market. Unlike the sci-fi pods of Tokyo, you’ll be able to stand up in your 10m2 of space-age pod and sleep in a fold-back double bed.

Pods are equipped with flat-screen TVs, wireless internet access and a power shower. Premium pods also have a connection that allows you to listen to your iPod or MP3 player through the TV. Prices at Gatwick start from just £25 (€37) for a four-hour stay, rising to £55 (€81) for the whole night, or £80 (€117) for a premium pod. www.yotel.com

Qbic Hotel
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

Situated in the economic heart of Amsterdam, Qbic Hotel WTC (World Trade Centre) is hot on the heels of Yotel. The concept consists of a cube-shaped, state-of-the-art living space, 7m2, in the centre of each hotel room. “Qbic” is packed with stylish extras, such as a high-end Hästens bed, Philippe Starck-designed bathroom elements, an LCD TV and wireless internet access.

Based around the theory that the best service is self-service, the hotel cuts costs by inviting you to look after yourself. It offers self-check in and a Grab & Go Corner, where you’ll find high-tech vending machines full of homemade treats from local bakeries, plus essentials for your stay and even Champagne.

The rooms feature a clever combination of adjustable panels and the colours of the walls can be adjusted to suit your mood. Prices start at €39 per night. Qbic will open in Antwerp, Belgium, in autumn, and in Maastricht, the Netherlands, by the end of the year. www.qbichotels.com

Nitenite
BIRMINGHAM, UK

Birmingham offers pod-style rooms in the shape of Nitenite, a “budget boutique hotel” in the heart of the city centre. A feature of Birmingham’s urban renaissance, Nitenite is a chic, cutting-edge hotel, close to the city’s landmark Selfridges department store. With rates from just £54.95 (€80) and lower prices online, the rooms may be light on the pocket but their interiors are far from cheap. High-quality cherry wood panelling, leather finishes, wireless internet and shiny technology, such as a 42-inch plasma screen TV that also acts as a window, make each stay a very stylish experience. It’s the perfect bolthole to crash in after a hard day’s shopping or a long night’s clubbing. www.nitenite.com

Hotel Everland
LEIPZIG, GERMANY

Featuring a room with the singular view of beautifully restored Leipzig, Hotel Everland is, quite simply, the most exclusive pod in the business. There’s just one double pod and it’s perched atop the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art. You get a king-size bed, lounge, deluxe bathroom and free mini bar, plus wireless internet access and a concierge who delivers breakfast to the room.

And you can help yourselves to the towels, so you get some change from the €222 per night. Bizarrely, the hotel will stay in its current location until August, and then up sticks and move to Paris. www.everland.ch

Airstream Europe
NEAR MIREPOIX, FRANCE

This hotel consists solely of a group of the iconic aluminium American Airstream trailers in a field at the foothills of the Pyrenees, which means you don’t have to cross the Atlantic to get a slice of retro holidaymaking.

Tel: +33 (0)56 168 1199 www.airstreameurope.com

Woodpecker
VÄSTERÅS, SWEDEN

There’s no lift at the Woodpecker hotel, just a rope ladder for you to climb up to a luxurious tree house, set 13m above a public park in the historic city of Västerås. It’s the only tree dwelling in Europe for a weekend break. www.vasterasmalarstaden.se

Harlingen Harbour Crane,
HARLINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS

This unique hotel is a fully-furnished room inside a working dockside crane. A lift has replaced the outside ladders and the room packs in a plasma-screen TV and a stack of DVDs. You can even climb into the cabin above and swivel the crane round 360˚.

Tel: +31 (0)517 414410, www.vuurtoren-harlingen.nl