First Cabin Hotel Launches Unique Hotel Concept In Japan
First class, business class, economy comfort etc. these are words most travelers are aware of. But they associate those names with airline cabins. First Cabin is trying to change that with their newer hotel concept in Japan. They have found a way to cram a lot of people into a smaller place, which is necessity in Japan’s busiest cities. They have put their own spin on pod hotel offerings and call them First Class, Business Class, and Premium Economy.
First Class
First up is First Cabin’s First Class room which looks similar to a small hotel room. A very small hotel room. It is in a row of similar rooms with what looks like to be a partition or curtain to close at night.
The first class room offers a little bit of space to move around and a table to get some work done. It also has a TV, a locking drawer, and a bed made for one.
I checked some prices and the room in Tokyo’s newest location, opening in March, was around $53 a night.
Business Class
Business Class is similar to First Class except you lose the small walking around space and the table. It is a bed meet wall situation. This room was running around $45 a night.
Premium Economy
This cabin looks like you are ready for space exploration. You basically lay in a small cube to sleep. They are stacked on top of each other so ladder skills may be necessary. Premium Economy was pricing out at $35 a night. This may be an option if you just want to take a quick nap before or after a flight etc.
Facilities
It looks like the hotels offer a ton of shared facilities. They offer lounges, large public baths, shower booths, a bar area, and some have spa facilities. They also offer free WiFi throughout the hotel.
Conclusion
I think the rooms are segregated by a person’s sex and 1 person per room. So this may be best for someone traveling solo or with someone of the same sex. First Cabin allows hourly rentals and use of the shared facilities as well as overnight accommodations.
Pod hotels are not new in Japan but this is a unique way to market it. The prices are right and I could see myself snagging a Business or First Class room if I just needed a place to crash. I do wonder how loud it would be at night with limited sound proofing options. You could not pay me to grab a Premium Economy room, well unless you bought me a lot of beers at the bar first!
I think this would be a good fit as an airport hotel. The concept and names of the rooms would work perfectly. It would be great for long layovers too and would be a step up from Minute Suites.
What do you think? Is this something you would consider? Do you think it would ever work in a place like New York City etc?
Hat Tip: Japan Today
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[…] from Miles to Memories wrote about a new hotel concept in Japan called First Cabin that offers rooms based on First Class, Business Cla…. While Sharon still wants us to spend a night in a capsule hotel in Japan (Note from Sharon: […]
Mark, First Cabin have been around for a few years. Except for the airline-themed naming, it is a standard capsule hotel.
Yes, there is segregation by gender.
Two things you will discover, if you stay there, is that there is no segregation by cigarette smoke (even “non-smoking” “rooms” reek of smoke), and that it’s cheapness attracts appropriate clientele – I got woken up at 3 am by Chinese tourists hollering at each other from one end of the hall way to the other.
So, honestly, 53$/night, an Air BnB might be a much better choice.
Thanks for the info Stany.