111–120 of 149 posts
I prefer the MVP I've been using in airports for years: - hoodie - ipod with white noise - mindfold mask (mindfold.com) - inflatable neck pillow - backpack with strap wrapped around my arm - empty gate of any soon-to-be-bankrupt airline It's already paid for, it works great (the mindfold is the secret, believe me), it weighs less that a pound, and I can use it on the plane too.
I tried "Yotel" in the Gatwick airport, it's a similar idea but it's in a dedicated area. http://www.yotel.com/Hotels/London-Gatwick/Sleep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YOtel
My only complaint is not really with the concept itself, it's just that I'm generally using these things, I'm nervous I'll sleep too long and miss my flight.
Great discussion, a lot of it centered around the difficulty of the clientele screwing up the place. But there are also a lot of assumptions going in which may not hold. So if you look at AirBnB, one of its 'features' is that all of the renters and sellers are pre-vetted (and yes this doesn't always work but it keeps problem people in the system low). Look at the 'clear' system for pre-screening air travelers. This s…
Actually, it's already available in Moscow airports: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14514816
But there isn't anything since then. And to me its even stranger that their homepage they don't mention the installation. So my take on that was this was a 'demo' and not a real installation. Can you tell me if there are any being commercially operated ?
I prefer the MVP I've been using in airports for years: - hoodie - ipod with white noise - mindfold mask (mindfold.com) - inflatable neck pillow - backpack with strap wrapped around my arm - empty gate of any soon-to-be-bankrupt airline It's already paid for, it works great (the mindfold is the secret, believe me), it weighs less that a pound, and I can use it on the plane too.
- you have no privacy
- it's difficult to get comfortable
- you're always paranoid about somebody taking your stuff
- there's usually a cleaning crew who make a lot of noise and sometimes you have to move your stuff for them
I'd much rather use a sleepbox.
Many comments seemed concerned about the public perception that these will often be used for sex. Since this is aimed at business travelers, it shouldn't be too hard to limit it to single occupancy. Just add some kind of occupancy sensor--weight distribution on the bed maybe--that alerts an employee when it detects more than one person.
Further, a hotel owner can't just barge in on a tenant. They have to believe someone is doing something illegal, disturbing other tenants or causing damage.
I always thought hostels were cheaper than that, per night. Is that pretty accurate though?
Wow. That's going to wind up to be the filthiest box in NYC. Word will spread among the homeless and drug addicts. Need a quick place to shoot up? There's the Sleepbox. Given the state of public restrooms in NYC, you're also just asking for bodily fluids everywhere. This is not a business in America. It's a money sink and an exercise in frustration. And if you think you can "limit" who uses it, good luck fending off…
Word will spread that they scan your fingerprints and irises, and link them to unpaid charges. A homeless schizophrenic who enjoys painting with feces merely has to cough uo the $500 clean up fee before his next stay. I.e., lifetime ban.
In Japan we have long had 'coffin hotels' (or 'capsule hotels', pre-Neuromancer). We also have love hotels, which are expressly designed to be rented for two hours at a time to do whatever nasty, sticky business you can convince somebody to do with you. The changing the linens and whatnot are solved problems. (Some businessman-oriented places have a sealed plastic bag of bedclothes hung in the room... you have to do…
If you travel through a civilized airport such as Singapore (Changi) then they have a hotel airside (ie no going through immigration) and as a bonus the rooms include bathrooms. It is USD10/hr single and USD12/hr double. There are also budget rooms (shared bathrooms) for half that rate. Oh, and swimming pools, cinemas etc. http://www.changiairport.com/in-transit/transit-hotel
This is not a new idea. http://www.yotel.com seems a direct competitor. Also, in the extreme we have the Japanese http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsule_hotel .
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Heavy fines get difficult when the buyer can deny the charges. Chargebacks are very expensive for the merchant; not only are there penalty charges on top of the refund ($25 seems to be typical) but credit card processors will refuse to do business with you if you get enough of them.
How about a video camera inside the "box"? Or would that be too invasive for most people? Maybe you could just take "before" and "after" pictures?