Micro Hotels: Inside the World’s 5 Smallest Hotel Rooms
As the concept of micro apartments takes hold across the world—thanks, in part, to social media—it’s no surprise that micro hotels are starting to catch the attention of travelers too. Though they’re all designed with small footprints, they don’t all have the same goal. Some look to offer jet-setters a cost-efficient, comfortable option in notoriously pricey destinations, while others look to create a unique accommodation experience that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Below, AD visits five micro hotels that offer some of the smallest hotel rooms in the world available for booking.
Photo: Pavel Kapish/Alamy Stock Photo1/5Capsule Inn (Osaka, Japan)
For anyone looking for an authentic capsule hotel experience, there is no better place to visit than where the concept originated: Osaka. Though there are many similar properties throughout the city, Capsule Inn, which opened in 1979, was the world’s first micro hotel. Designed by Kisho Kurokawa, the architect of Nakagin Capsule Tower, the hotel encapsulated Japanese efficiency and compact design. It’s worth noting, however, that the hotel is currently only available for male travelers. According to many Japanese travel blogs, the accommodations were originally designed by “traveling businessmen,” and though there are now co-ed outposts as well as capsule hotels for women, in many locations this separation has remained.
Book now: Capsule Inn Osaka
Photo: Courtesy of Panda Pod Hotel2/5Panda Pod Hotel (Vancouver, Canada)
Located near Vancouver, Panda Pod Hotel is the first capsule hotel in Canada. The unique spot was founded with the belief that, by removing the high price tag of traditional accommodations, travel can be made more accessible to everyone. “When getting away, the highest cost is accommodation, and we wanted to remove that barrier,” reads the hotel’s website.
Each pod measures about 3.6 feet wide by 3.6 feet tall and is 6.9 feet long, and each includes thoughtful design choices, like drop-down side tables to make sleeping more comfortable. In addition to a pod, guests have access to separate bathrooms and showers, and they’re provided traditional hotel amenities, including toiletries and slippers, towels, hair dryers, and charging stations.Book now: Panda Pod Hotel
Photo: Courtesy of TuboHotel La Tatacoa3/5TuboHotel La Tatacoa (Villavieja, Colombia)
At TuboHotel La Tatacoa, guests are able to combine both the experience of camping with real beds and permanent facilities. Each room is located inside of a concrete tube featuring a small window, black out curtains, and a queen-sized bed. Painted vibrant hues, the suites sit on a campground with a community pool, bar/restaurant pavilion, and communal bathrooms. The unique camping spot is located in Villavieja, a town in within the Tatacoa Desert and built on the banks of the Magdalena River.
Book now: TuboHotel La Tatacoa
Photo: Ute Grabowsky/Getty Images4/5Das Parkhotel (Germany)
Like TuboHotel, Das Parkhotel, with locations throughout Germany, offers the opportunity to sleep in concrete tubes. Here, repurposed sewer pipes are purposefully left unadorned and minimalistic on the exterior, with surprising modern comforts on the inside. The hotel promises enough headroom as well as a full-size bed, in addition to storage space, electricity, and wool blankets.
Book now: Das Parkhotel
Photo: Taufiq Hosen5/5CityHub (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
The rooms at CityHub in Amsterdam may look a bit like a Tetris game—and that’s exactly the point. With L-shaped volumes, each room includes a king-size bed and small closet area to hang jackets and store luggage. The soundproof design ensures you won’t be bothered by other guests when you're looking to snooze, and each pod allows guests to play music and adjust lights to various brightness and colors.
Here, the reception area acts like both a lounge and bar, providing guests room to spread out and mingle when not in rooms. Employees, known as City Hosts, are also around 24/7 to share tips and assist guests with whatever they may need. In addition to a location in Amsterdam, the hotelier also has outposts in Rotterdam and Copenhagen.
Book now: CityHub Amsterdam
