Capsule hotel
A private sleeping pod in a shared room, with a shared bathroom.
What it is
A capsule hotel gives you an enclosed bed-sized pod with a light, a socket and a screen or door you can close — arranged in rows, with shared bathrooms and a locker room. Common in Japan and increasingly in airports, it buys you privacy and quiet at a fraction of a hotel room, on the understanding that you will not be spending the day in it.
- Your own enclosed pod, with a light, a socket and bedding
- A locker for your bag, separate from the pod
- Shared bathrooms, often very good ones
- 24-hour reception, since most guests arrive at odd hours
- Room for your suitcase — it goes in a locker, not with you
- Anywhere to sit up straight, or to be during the day
- A private bathroom, or a kitchen
What this means for your bag
Everything hinges on the fact that your bag sleeps somewhere else.
A small overnight pouch
Phone, charger, toothbrush, tomorrow's shirt — the things you want in the pod, because the case is in a locker down the corridor.
Earplugs
The pod is private to the eye, not to the ear. A row of pods is a shared room with better manners.
Something to walk about in
Many capsule hotels issue slippers and a robe; where they don't, you will still be crossing a corridor to the bathroom.
Priced like a hostel dorm bed, sometimes less, in cities where a hotel room costs several times as much. Very good value if you only need somewhere to sleep.
- Locker rental for large luggage, at some places
- Towel and toiletry sets, where not included
- A charge to stay in the building during the day
- Have a long layover or a very early flight
- Want privacy to sleep without paying for a room
- Are travelling with one bag and spending all day out
Plain links, no referral tags — we earn nothing if you book. They are here because they are where this kind of place is actually listed.
Questions people ask about this
A hotel where you rent an enclosed sleeping pod rather than a room. The pod is just big enough to lie down in, with a light, a power socket and a blind or door, and bathrooms are shared. It is more private than a hostel dorm and much cheaper than a hotel room.
In a locker, not in the pod — there is no room for a suitcase beside you. Pack a small pouch with what you want overnight before you check in, so you are not opening a case in a corridor at midnight.
They started there and are still most common there, but pod hotels now exist in many large airports and in a growing number of European cities. The format is the same wherever you find it.
The calculator already asks where you're staying. Start with this answer filled in and it will size the list around shared bathrooms, kitchens and laundry.