If you're not claustrophobic, the shrinking dimensions of the latest budget hotels can deliver luxury on the cheap.
The hotel, made up of 215 shipping containers welded together over five floors, is one of a new breed of budget hotels that aim to make life easier for the 21st century traveler.
The first budget hotels, such as Yotel and easyHotel, were constructed around airports and aimed at business travelers, but they've become so popular with tourists that branches have started opening in city centers. They cater to those who travel light and don't mind forgoing a bit of space and privacy in exchange for affordable luxury in the world's most expensive cities.
"CitizenM understands that mobile citizens want luxury without unwanted extras," says its brochure."That means great locations and great showers, big beds and big towels, free films and free Wi-Fi. In other words, big expectations for not so big prices." Those prices start at €79 a night – a snip compared to other hotels.
"Over the past year, we've definitely noticed an increase both in the number of these hotels opening and also the number of bookings for them," says Andrew Warner, senior director of marketing at
Expedia."This is the hotel equivalent of easyJet and Ryanair," says Nigel Pocklington of Hotels.com. "From what we can see, people who are staying in them are smarter and more experienced travelers because they've figured out they can pay for things that are important to them, but not necessarily everything," he adds.
citizenM has global ambitions. There are two in Amsterdam – one at Schiphol airport and the new one in the city – while Britain's first branch opened its doors in Glasgow in September, and the first London citizenM will open on the South Bank next year. Another is being built in east London in time for the Olympics. Two sites in New York and Paris are also in the pipeline.
Yotel, run by Simon Woodroffe, is also cashing in
on the trend. It has been offering rooms near airports since 2007 starting at £25 for a four-hour stay. They've been so popular that Yotel is opening a branch near New York's Times Square next year, which will house nearly 700 cabins. Its rooms are styled to look like first-class airplane cabins, with the biggest just 10 square meters.
The easyHotel chain owns 13 budget hotels across Europe and one in Dubai, with five branches in central London. These are less about luxury – the cheapest rooms have a tiny six square meters of floor space and no windows – but with prices starting at £25 a night, you get what you pay for.
"It's really important that anyone who's thinking of staying in one of these hotels checks the reviews," says Warner. "In some of the chains you might have to pay extra if you want your room cleaned. Some of them charge if you want toiletries or towels in the room."
Of course, these hotels aren't going to suit everybody. If you like a human being to check you in and help with your baggage, this certainly isn't for you. You need to be happy using gadgets and obviously not prone to claustrophobia.
More than anything, you need to be sure you're very comfortable with the person who's sharing your room.
adapted from The Guardian
