Staying in a capsule hotel: what it's really like!

After two weeks on Flinders Island in Tasmania, our trip was supposed to continue in Victoria. Confident as we are, we didn’t book our flights off Flinders Island. A single trip was more than enough, and those return trips were worries for later. This time later did prove us wrong. The flights to Melbourne were sold out for the entire week, and we couldn’t stay longer on the island anymore. If only we had booked our flight off the island beforehand. I say that every time and in the end, I never do, as much as I would want that to be different afterwards. On the other hand, it paves the way to changing plans last-minute, and otherwise, we might not have slept in a capsule hotel!

Flights off Flinders Island are pretty limited in destinations, and we flew last minute to Launceston in Tasmania. Nothing new for us as we both have spent time here before. It is just that Launceston only has a limited amount of affordable accommodation, and we were already pretty last-minute. Our solution was to spend the week in the Pod Inn, better known as Tasmania’s only capsule hotel. A little adventure by itself.

Capsule Hotel.

You may have heard about capsule hotels or pods before. These accommodation forms of Japanese origin are popping up more and more worldwide. You will find them in multiple airports or in the middle of big cities. They provide a pretty cheap and private sleeping place for travellers. It’s like having your personal space in a giant dorm room, making it easy to sleep many people in a small area. While they have only hit the news semi-recently, you would be surprised to know that the first capsule hotel in Japan already opened in 1979! Soon after, they spread around Japan and are now a widely used solution to give long haul travellers a place to rest.

Capsule hotels are something that has gathered our interest for a long time. We saw other travellers using them on the internet, and they showed up on booking sites occasionally. It is just that we never needed one before. So this time, it is our time to test those pods thoroughly! And, we are not just trying them for a night, but the whole week!

First thoughts on sleeping in pods.

It is a cliche connotation, but when talking about pods, people usually ask, is that the spaceship beds? And yes, when you walk into the area and see the Pod for the first time, it does look like it comes straight out of space. You open the Pod-door with your keycard and get a white spaceship room for yourself. There is a little control centre with USB ports in the Pod, activated with your card, that has multiple options. You can turn a little fan on, change between white reading- and coloured atmospheric lights and determine their intensity. Above all, you can see the temperature of your Pod on the screen. Above the control centre, there is a mirror, and that’s it. You close the door, and it’s you, the control panel and the spaceship feel.

Yentl Doggen inside a sleeping capsule at the Pod Inn, Launceston

The thing that did surprise us the most was that the beds were pretty comfortable. Looking at it from the outside, you wouldn’t think they are, but the mattress was soft and relaxing. The difference between the single and double Pods isn’t that big, so we already anticipated bumping into the wall while sleeping. It is private but also a little claustrophobic. You can’t always have everything, so we will take it as it comes. Luckily, the Capsule Hotels provide lockers, so your luggage can stay outside.

Second thoughts on sleeping in pods.

It’s never good when receptions give away free earplugs, and these capsule hotels prove that again. As much as these Pods give you privacy and personal space, they are not soundproof. On the contrary, you can easily hear whenever people talk, open doors, or pack their bags outside the Pod. I was pretty disappointed by that. Yes, the hotel did provide earplugs, but I had hoped not to need them. It made the difference between Pods and shared rooms smaller than I had eventually thought.

The Pods aren’t soundproof and also not lightproof. There is light coming in at the door openings and some corners. I guess that goes hand in hand with not being soundproof, but I thought they would stop the light. It’s not that it makes the Pod light up, but if you are like me and get distracted by it, it can be not very pleasant.

Furthermore, the control panel shows the temperature in the Pod, but you can’t change it. The fan only allows air into the Pod but doesn’t function as an aircon. The result is a pretty hot Pod in the morning. However, the fan does its job, and you get a nice continual flow of air.

In the end, we did sleep well in our Pods. The mattress was pretty comfortable, and we did bump into the walls at night, but hey, that’s life in a sleeping Pod! All the items above are pretty similar to sleeping in a hostel. Therefore, I would not put these capsule hotels in the hotel category. They are more luxury hostels. You still have the complaints you have in a shared room, only this time you have a little private space to yourself.

Side view on four pods in a Capsule Hotel

A word on the Launceston Capsule Hotel – Pod Inn.

The Launceston Pod Inn itself was overall pretty clean and tidy. Their kitchen, common area and bathrooms were very modern and well maintained. Our only real complaint would be the absence of cooking facilities. It doesn’t matter too much if you stay only for the night, but after a week, the costs of eating out add up. We had two single doonas, towels and two pillows in the Pod. Outside of the Pod, we had two lockers. The lockers were relatively small as they barely fit our backpacks, let alone suitcases, so keep that in mind. Our Pod did have some marks and stains on the walls, but nothing too concerning. We saw the people cleaning other Pods, and it was hard to get into every tiny corner, I have to admit.

View in the Capsule Hotel, Pod Inn, Launceston

The Pod Inn in Launceston has a great location in the city’s heart! It is situated on Wellington Street, across the road from the main streets. When you first approach it, the frontage of the building is a Japanese restaurant. On the left side of the restaurant is a little ally way to the Inn. The restaurant is a part of the Inn, and you get a 5% discount when you eat there! You see the reception, kitchen and the common area as you walk in. The kitchen is basic, with the only cooking appliance being a microwave and toaster. There are a lot of Pods here, and if you ask us, we wouldn’t recommend staying here when all Pods are full. The common spaces and bathrooms are too tiny for the number of people they can host. As a last-minute solution, it is a good option.

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