Sleep in Unaccustomed Style
The days when businessmen, or women, would only stay in five-star hotels with excellent room service and wines older than themselves are over.
Luxury has given over to no mess, no fuss convenience.
If this means that some comfort is sacrificed in the process, so be it.
Capsule hotels are a growing trend in Japan.
At about 2m long and with the width of a single bed, they are frequented by Japanese businessmen too busy to go home.
To check in you have to buy a ticket at a vending machine and hand it to the clerk in exchange for a capsule number, locker key and wristband.
Bath and shower facilities are usually found on the top floor of these hotels.
Each capsule is fitted with a control panel with buttons on it to control everything from light dimmers to changing channels on the TV.
There is even a special red button that should be pressed only when you require adult entertainment.
At an extra cost, of course.
Small screens can be pulled down for the sake of privacy.
For those with tighter belts and no privacy issues, lazy boys in the lounge can be used for sleeping purposes.
Obviously sleeping in a pint-sized cubbyhole isn't everybody's cup of tea, which is why some people check into Jules' Undersea Lodge, in Emerald Lagoon, Florida.
The lodge was converted from the La Chalupa research laboratory, and in addition to offering luxury accommodation, still functions as a research facility.
To reach the Lodge, visitors need to complete a 21-foot dive before entering the pressurised environment via a "moon pool".
From there it's a quick towel off in the wet room and they are free to explore their new surroundings.
There are two bedrooms, with comfortable beds and 42-inch circular windows to view the abundance of sea creatures swimming by.
Creature comforts include hot showers, videos, and a well-stocked kitchen with all of the modern conveniences.
Special wedding packages can be arranged for couples that want to get married underwater and celebrate a portion of their honeymoon surrounded by exotic sea life.
There are plans to build larger underwater hotels as more people come to realise the potential of the Inner-Space market.
For those who want an original hotel experience but don't fancy the idea of actually going to the depths of the ocean, the Propeller Island City Lodge in Germany might be better suited to their needs.
Used by German artist Lars Stroschen to exhibit his innovative audio-visual creations, the Lodge functions as a habitable work of art.
His interesting design features have resulted in a variety of extraordinary rooms with distinct and original themes.
The Upside Down room is exactly that.
All the traditional bedroom furnishings are attached to the ceiling, while guests sleep and sit on comfortable boxes beneath them.
The topsy-turvy nature of the room is ideal for people who enjoy a different take on life and like to view the world in a different way every day.
The Four Beams room features a bed knotted to four ceiling rafters, suspended 1.
6 metres off the floor.
To climb onto the bed, guests have to make use of a ladder.
With a nod to political incorrectness, the room is only available to those of moderate size, overweight guests are required to choose another room.
For guests with a taste for the gothic, The Gruft room offers the choice of sleeping coffins or in a labyrinth below them.
The coffin lids are hinged so that anyone wanting a truly authentic experience can close them and sleep like the dead.
The Castle room is where it all began.
The bed is made in the shape of a huge wooden castle.
The rest of the furnishings are shaped like houses and cottages to emulate a surrounding village.
The room is equipped with a small kitchen and even has a miniature golf course in the meadow near the castle.
Hotels have never this much fun to stay in.
Forget about the mini-bar and chocolates on your pillows at night, for a truly memorable stay, pick a hotel with as much to offer inside, as the city does out.
Recommended sites: http://www.
propeller-island.
de/english/2/3/# http://www.
yesicanusechopsticks.
com/capsule/ http://www.
jul.
com/mediainfo.
html
Luxury has given over to no mess, no fuss convenience.
If this means that some comfort is sacrificed in the process, so be it.
Capsule hotels are a growing trend in Japan.
At about 2m long and with the width of a single bed, they are frequented by Japanese businessmen too busy to go home.
To check in you have to buy a ticket at a vending machine and hand it to the clerk in exchange for a capsule number, locker key and wristband.
Bath and shower facilities are usually found on the top floor of these hotels.
Each capsule is fitted with a control panel with buttons on it to control everything from light dimmers to changing channels on the TV.
There is even a special red button that should be pressed only when you require adult entertainment.
At an extra cost, of course.
Small screens can be pulled down for the sake of privacy.
For those with tighter belts and no privacy issues, lazy boys in the lounge can be used for sleeping purposes.
Obviously sleeping in a pint-sized cubbyhole isn't everybody's cup of tea, which is why some people check into Jules' Undersea Lodge, in Emerald Lagoon, Florida.
The lodge was converted from the La Chalupa research laboratory, and in addition to offering luxury accommodation, still functions as a research facility.
To reach the Lodge, visitors need to complete a 21-foot dive before entering the pressurised environment via a "moon pool".
From there it's a quick towel off in the wet room and they are free to explore their new surroundings.
There are two bedrooms, with comfortable beds and 42-inch circular windows to view the abundance of sea creatures swimming by.
Creature comforts include hot showers, videos, and a well-stocked kitchen with all of the modern conveniences.
Special wedding packages can be arranged for couples that want to get married underwater and celebrate a portion of their honeymoon surrounded by exotic sea life.
There are plans to build larger underwater hotels as more people come to realise the potential of the Inner-Space market.
For those who want an original hotel experience but don't fancy the idea of actually going to the depths of the ocean, the Propeller Island City Lodge in Germany might be better suited to their needs.
Used by German artist Lars Stroschen to exhibit his innovative audio-visual creations, the Lodge functions as a habitable work of art.
His interesting design features have resulted in a variety of extraordinary rooms with distinct and original themes.
The Upside Down room is exactly that.
All the traditional bedroom furnishings are attached to the ceiling, while guests sleep and sit on comfortable boxes beneath them.
The topsy-turvy nature of the room is ideal for people who enjoy a different take on life and like to view the world in a different way every day.
The Four Beams room features a bed knotted to four ceiling rafters, suspended 1.
6 metres off the floor.
To climb onto the bed, guests have to make use of a ladder.
With a nod to political incorrectness, the room is only available to those of moderate size, overweight guests are required to choose another room.
For guests with a taste for the gothic, The Gruft room offers the choice of sleeping coffins or in a labyrinth below them.
The coffin lids are hinged so that anyone wanting a truly authentic experience can close them and sleep like the dead.
The Castle room is where it all began.
The bed is made in the shape of a huge wooden castle.
The rest of the furnishings are shaped like houses and cottages to emulate a surrounding village.
The room is equipped with a small kitchen and even has a miniature golf course in the meadow near the castle.
Hotels have never this much fun to stay in.
Forget about the mini-bar and chocolates on your pillows at night, for a truly memorable stay, pick a hotel with as much to offer inside, as the city does out.
Recommended sites: http://www.
propeller-island.
de/english/2/3/# http://www.
yesicanusechopsticks.
com/capsule/ http://www.
jul.
com/mediainfo.
html
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