You had hoped that you would be able to sleep on the long transatlantic flight to Europe. But with the screaming baby behind you, the person next to you getting up every 20 minutes, and the flight attendants banging the carts up and down the aisle, sleep never materialized. Now you’ve landed but you have four hours until your connecting flight. You’re exhausted. What do you do?
Well, if you are at London’s Gatwick or Heathrow airports, or at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, you can check into a YOTEL.
Inspired by Japanese capsule hotels, first class airline accommodations, and luxury yachts, YOTEL fuses these components together to create an oasis for the traveler. YOTEL CEO Gerard Greene describes YOTEL as “the iPod of the hotel industry” with rooms bookable by the hour.
“YOTEL is the antithesis to the manic and often stressful airport environment offering guests a haven of calm and quiet with luxury bedding, rejuvenating monsoon rain showers, relaxing mood lighting, practical work station and free WiFi,” said the company in a press release.
The Gatwick YOTEL is located in the South Terminal and offers 46 rooms. Heathrow’s is found in terminal 4 and there are 32 total rooms. The Amsterdam airport has 57 rooms. Amenities include in-suite bathrooms, WiFi, flat screen TVs, work desks, and more. Food, snacks and beverages are available 24 hours a day from the galley.
Room space varies from 95 to 245 square feet, compared to the 300 square feet of the average U.S. hotel room. What YOTEL gives up in space they gain in efficiency and luxury. “Have fun—there’s as much in these 10 square meters (108sf) as you’d find in most 4 star hotels,” boasts the company’s website.
The rooms, or “cabins” as they are also called, are sound-proof and can accommodate up to two people. There is a family cabin at the Amsterdam location which can accommodate four.
Prices start at about $53 for the first four hours and then drop to approximately $10 an hour thereafter. Overnight rates are also available. The London locations only accept credit cards, while Amsterdam accepts British pounds, Euros and U.S. dollars along with major credit cards.
Next year, YOTEL will expand beyond airports in Europe when they open a new location at New York’s Times Square.