Moscow Capsule Hotel

Small rooms, narrow windows and little furniture – for some it may sound like Harry Potter's basement, but in reality they're rooms in a brand-new capsule hotel in central Moscow, which looks like a space orbital.

Located just minutes away from Kremlin and other major landmarks, the new Sleepbox hotel is the first of its kind in Moscow, and it costs less than 100 bucks per night.

It probably will not win your heart with a picturesque view or luxuriously appointed rooms, but it does promise to be a unique experience.

At first sight it looks like the orbital "hotel" in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element or a space-age cruise liner.

The hotel features fifty cramped, windowless pods, some of which can fit up to three people.

Based loosely on the concept of Japanese "capsule hotels," each 2–meter pod contains a bed, shelf, lamp, small wardrobe and table. Tourists say that's enough space to sleep and work if needed.

For guests requiring the services offered by more conventional hotels, the Sleepbox hotel offers standard rooms with double beds and en suite bathrooms (the capsules don't have bathrooms). But this room will cost almost three times more – around $150.

In Japan, such hotels may have up to 600 pods and are usually located near railway stations and far less. 

One such space-saving hotel was installed in the Aeroexpress terminal at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in April, but it has not proved particularly popular due to its location. Via