Cozy or Claustrophobic? The Smallest Hotel Rooms in the World

From capsule hotels to pods in Japan, these hotel rooms forgo space for low prices and a once-in-a-lifetime sleeping experience.

September 9, 2014

© Chad Ehlers / Alamy
Capsule Inn Osaka
Osaka, Japan
Japan has been at the forefront of the tiny hotel movement with their famous capsule hotels. The Capsule Inn Osaka was the world’s first when it opened its doors in 1979, and the hotel is still taking reservations today. Located in Osaka’s business and shopping district, it offers small rooms, but doesn’t skimp on amenities. While the capsules are just big enough for a body, they come outfitted with a television, radio, and lights. Guests (men only) are also offered a robe, towel, an assortment of toiletries, and free access to the in-house spa and sauna.
Sleepbox Hotel
Moscow, Russia
Located in the heart of Moscow, Sleepbox Hotel is the first capsule hotel in Russia. It opened in 2013 and offers guests diminutive rooms that can accommodate single and multiple sleepers. Even though the suites are compact, they were designed by a team of Russian architects to be highly functional. Amenities include LED televisions, luggage storage, mirrors, and en suite bathrooms, depending on the room.

© VIEW Pictures Ltd / Alamy
YOTEL
Multiple Locations
The YOTEL chain of hotels has four locations: Times Square, London's Heathrow Airport, Sussex's Gatwick Airport (pictured), and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (though this one will be closed for renovations until 2015). Influenced by similar Japanese hotels, as well as first-class air cabins, YOTEL rents cabins (not rooms) in several sizes. Depending on the location you're sleeping in, your room might have an outdoor terrace (as one in Times Square does), or bunk beds to accommodate multiple guests (in Heathrow). Each cabin offers amenities you won’t find in an airport terminal, including flat-screen televisions and monsoon showers.
Photo courtesy of CitizenM
CitizenM
Multiple Locations
CitizenM Hotel is all about affordable luxury and innovation. Their seven locations are spread between Amsterdam (city and airport), Glasgow, London, New York, Paris, and Rotterdam and have perfectly sized rooms for the modern traveler who prefers to spend their days exploring the city, not cooped up in their hotel room. The compact rooms don’t skimp on design features or amenities, which include wall-to-wall windows, rain showers, free movies, and king-size beds.

Courtesy Pod Hotel
The Pod Hotel
New York, NY
The Pod Hotel, with two locations in New York City, promises a hotel experience that lets you “stay in the heart of it all, without spending it all.” The hotel offers a plethora of room varieties, from single sleepers to a larger studio that fits four people. The compact rooms come jam packed with amenities like flat screen LCD televisions and iPod docks. Their Pod 39 location is also home to Salvation Taco, a taquería and cantina by Michelin-starred Chef April Bloomfield and restaurateur Ken Friedman. At Pod 51, they’ve teamed up with Pop Burger to offer guests Pop @ Pod, a gastropub next to the hotel.
© WENN Ltd / Alamy
Tubohotel
Tepoztlan, Mexico
Located just 45 minutes south of Mexico City, Tubohotel offers the unique experience of sleeping in rooms made from recycled concrete tubes. The tubes appear small, but they’re big enough to fit a queen-size bed, desk lamp, and fan. The tubular rooms are stacked in pyramids or lined up in groups of three and are arranged around a central courtyard with plenty of vegetation, as well as a pool.

Courtesy CitizenM
citizenM
Multiple Locations
citizenM Hotels are all about affordable luxury and innovation. Their seven locations are spread between Amsterdam (city and airport), Glasgow, London, New York (pictured), Paris, and Rotterdam, and have rooms that are perfect for the modern traveler who prefers to spend their days exploring the city, not cooped up in their hotel room. The compact accommodations don’t skimp on design features or amenities, which include wall-to-wall windows, rain showers, free movies, and king-size beds.
Courtesy easyHotel
easyHotels
Multiple locations
The easyHotel chain has convenient, centrally-located outposts around the world, from London (pictured) to Dubai and South Africa. The chain asks guests to sacrifice a little space without forgoing the comforts you’d come to expect from upscale hotels—e.g. flat-screen TVs, private showers, and Wi-Fi. They also offer low costs based on booking time: the earlier you reserve a room, the less expensive it will be.