Instead of hotel rooms, capsule hotels rent out small berths that usually measure 2m long, 1m wide and 1.25m high.
Time Capsule Hotel in Penang’s Chulia Street is the real deal. The capsules here are moulded out of aircraft-grade plastic, just like how they make it in the land of instant noodles and ultra-efficiency.
Your funky blue-lit capsule has two USB ports to power up your tech gear, a small code-locked safe, a mirror, a power socket, a tiny fire extinguisher, an SOS or panic button, pair of headphones and air conditioning inlet and outlet.
Chief among the gadgets in the capsule is an Android TV for you to watch loads of movies, play games and surf the net.
Once you slide shut your capsule panels, external sounds are thoroughly muffled and the blissful darkness will complete your sense of seclusion, helping you to drift into dreamland in short order.
With three floors housing 100 capsules, the hotel also has a self-service laundry room, a common room cafe and beer garden.
It is the perfect solution for busy business travellers or backpackers who want a little luxury, said Time Capsule Hotel’s director Steve Low Wey Heng.
“We have been operating seven budget and boutique hotels for over 15 years and frankly, we are getting bored of providing conventional hospitality,” he said, adding that the other hotels are under the T Hotels chain (T+ Hotel Macallum Penang)
Low said the market segment of travellers who only want a cheap yet comfortable place to bed down for the night was growing substantially in Malaysia and capsule hotels were the perfect solution.
For RM70 a night with breakfast, guests can check in even without an overnight bag.
Every guest gets a pair of slippers, pyjamas, a plush bath towel and a full set of toiletries including a shaver.
There is a small locker for shoes and a larger one to stash your bags, all accessed via a smart card.
The communal bathrooms supply shampoo and shower gel and there are several hair dryers at ready.
Mind the sign, though — “No nudity and be fully dressed when stepping out of the shower room”.
Low said Time Capsule Hotel also had an all-female floor at no extra charge.
“We positioned the hotel as a party place for lone travellers and it looks like we’re spot on.
“Most of our guests so far are lone business travellers who want a cheap place to bunk down that is not boring. Our cafe and TV room are hip and lively while our capsule floors are quiet and softly lit for guests to get a good rest.”
The next stage, Low said, is brand licensing.
The hotel is looking for business partners nationwide to build the hotel chain.
He said the hotel’s set-up cost was about RM2mil and the modular nature allowed for quick development.
“If capsules can be viewed as small rooms, this model allows us to increase the possible number of rooms by 500%. Thus, a 20-room hotel can house 100 capsules.”
Low said possible brand licensing models could include joint-venture or build-operate-transfer (BOT) formats.
“We can supply the capsules, operational know-how and staff training. The operating partner funds the hotel set-up in a joint-venture model with profit sharing or retain all the net profits in the BOT model.”
Capsule hotels, he added, were success models developed by the Japanese since the early 80s and were ideal as a low-cost yet comfortable hospitality solution for Malaysia’s urban areas.
Source : The Star
Reservation :
Book your stay at Time Capsule Hotel now
For RM70 a night with breakfast, guests can check in even without an overnight bag.
Every guest gets a pair of slippers, pyjamas, a plush bath towel and a full set of toiletries including a shaver.
There is a small locker for shoes and a larger one to stash your bags, all accessed via a smart card.
The communal bathrooms supply shampoo and shower gel and there are several hair dryers at ready.
Mind the sign, though — “No nudity and be fully dressed when stepping out of the shower room”.
Low said Time Capsule Hotel also had an all-female floor at no extra charge.
“We positioned the hotel as a party place for lone travellers and it looks like we’re spot on.
“Most of our guests so far are lone business travellers who want a cheap place to bunk down that is not boring. Our cafe and TV room are hip and lively while our capsule floors are quiet and softly lit for guests to get a good rest.”
The next stage, Low said, is brand licensing.
The hotel is looking for business partners nationwide to build the hotel chain.
He said the hotel’s set-up cost was about RM2mil and the modular nature allowed for quick development.
“If capsules can be viewed as small rooms, this model allows us to increase the possible number of rooms by 500%. Thus, a 20-room hotel can house 100 capsules.”
Low said possible brand licensing models could include joint-venture or build-operate-transfer (BOT) formats.
“We can supply the capsules, operational know-how and staff training. The operating partner funds the hotel set-up in a joint-venture model with profit sharing or retain all the net profits in the BOT model.”
Capsule hotels, he added, were success models developed by the Japanese since the early 80s and were ideal as a low-cost yet comfortable hospitality solution for Malaysia’s urban areas.
Source : The Star
Reservation :
Book your stay at Time Capsule Hotel now
