China's first capsule hotel is set to open in Shanghai, targeting budget-conscious travellers in the country's glitzy commercial capital and close to the central railway station.
Capsule hotels, whose rooms have just enough space for sleeping and little else, originated in Japan for tired and overworked "salarymen". Today, they are low budget accommodation and appeal to travellers and renters alike.
"We are targeting single travellers who are looking to spend less, about one-third or two-thirds less than the prices of a regular hotel," Ta Zan, a 32-year-old Shanghai resident and owner of the hotel who got the idea working at a capsule hotel in Tokyo as a student.
The hotel will offer a rack rate of 68 yuan ($10.24) for a stay of 10 hours and 88 yuan ($13.26) for 24 hours.
Ta will only offer rooms to male guests initially and he hopes his hotel will open before summer as he works with the local government to gain all necessary approvals.
