Need a Nap? Airport Sleep Pods May Be The Answer

Sleep pods offer a new alternative for layovers and delayed flights

by Carolyn Ray

On a recent trip from Bali, Cathy Gotfried spent the night in a sleep pod at the Digital Airport Hotel in Jakarta when the only airport hotel was full.

“I felt very safe,” she recalls. “There was great lighting in the wide hallway and mine had a digital card to enter. They also stored my suitcase as it would not have fit in the pod. It felt a bit coffin-like, but I visualized that I was in a First Class Pod on an airplane. I would do it again if my choices were limited at an airport. Mine had a TV, wifi, mood lighting, a decent mattress (smaller than a twin bed) covered by a sheet, blanket, towel and pillow.”

For $32USD per night, it was a great deal. But Gotfried, who regularly travels to Bali with her women’s tour company Babes in Bali, says it may not be for everyone.

“If you’re claustrophobic it would be hard to stay in a pod,” she says. “I actually slept okay from 2:00 am to 7 am, but the bathroom was out a back door and across a hallway in the airport.” Gotfried recommends bringing good earplugs if you’re staying in a plastic unit. “It can be noisy, because the units are made of plastic so every time someone opens or closes the sliding panel to get in or out, it vibrates.  You can hear the zippers opening and closing on your neighbour’s bags.”

What is a sleep pod?

An airport sleep pod (sometimes called nap pods) are small, capsule-shaped beds. For the weary traveller, sleep pods allow you to lie flat, or even use a reclining chair, which can feel like heaven after a long-haul or delayed flight. The importance of good quality sleep is something that any traveller understands; alongside the benefits of sleep to reduce fatigue and stress, increase energy and enhance learning.

Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa designed the original sleep pod in 1979 and created Osaka’s Capsule Inn. Capsule hotels provide cheap, basic overnight accommodation for guests who do not require or who don’t want to pay for larger, more expensive rooms offered by conventional hotels. (Find a capsule hotel here.) Today, there are different kinds of sleep pod products, including small suites, meeting spaces and even entertainment pods. They are also seen in corporate environments, hospitals, universities, and other public places.

Like a hostel, sleep pods have shared bathrooms and some offer luggage storage areas, showers, power outlets for charging electronic devices, reading lamps, and wi-fi connectivity. Many operate as lounges, not hotels, which is why Priority Pass cardholders offer access to some airport sleep lounges or suites as part of membership benefits. (Note: In our last budget survey, Priority Pass was given low marks by our readers for return on value, but perhaps it’s worth revisiting).