November 26, 2013

China’s newest space capsule hotel looks straight out of the sci-fi movie Moon

by Sayan Chakravarty

Capsule hotels, a concept developed by Japan to provide cheap overnight basic accommodation, can dingy, suffocating and could seriously leave you feeling claustrophobic. But not all are same; Japanese capsule hotels generally score high on comfort as well as luxury features. The Chinese adopted the concept only in 2012 and its new Pengheng Space Capsules Hotel in Shenzhen can very well put the Japanese counterparts to shame. The space-themed capsule hotel with its futuristic appeal looks straight out of the Jetsons. It even has robot stewards just like the cartoon that serve as waiters in the hotel.

A skeleton staff of humans supervises the operations of the micro-hotel while the rest of the tasks and jobs including the gate keeping, reception desk and housekeeping are taken care by robots, now how cool is that! Food and drinks can be ordered from the lounge with the help of a tablet supplied by the hotel, and it is delivered by an automated bot. The neon-lit corridors and glass capsule exemplify top-notch quality and can very well be used as a sci-fi movie set. But the best part is the price, a stay in the hotel costs a mere 70 yuan (US$11) per person.