IMAGINE air travel without the hassle of security checks, long lineups or transit stops.
Replace the undersized seats with organic mattresses, monsoon showers and a Techno Wall that you can plug your iPod into and you're at Yotel, a hotel concept inspired by luxury airline travel and Japanese capsule hotels.
Yotel is the latest buzz in New York City in Times Square, making it the first Yotel location outside an airport terminal. The stylish rooms are called cabins, the concierge desk mission control, and check in and check out happens at the automated airport style counter. The most popular attraction of Yotel is Yobot, a robotic arm that stores luggage in bar-coded storage bins. Passersby and guests can't stop marvelling at this technological innovation which is the first luggage robot in a hotel.
Guests check in with IDs, a credit card or a confirmation number to receive key cards and a receipt. Room options include a Premium Cabin that has a queen size moving bed, or a First Cabin with a king-sized bed and an outdoor terrace with a hot tub.
Simon Woodroffe, the founder of Yotel, was inspired to create it when he was upgraded to first class on a British Airways flight.
He wanted to incorporate the space efficient design of airline travel into an affordable but luxurious hotel. The hotel's design incorporates transformational spaces from moving beds, to hydraulic tables in restaurants that change heights to accommodate different events. One such space is Studiyo, which transforms from a yoga studio at sunrise to cinema screenings at lunch and a cocktail reception area at dusk.
Restaurants at the Yotel offer a fusion of international flavours, headed by restaurateur and chef Richard Sandoval. The layout of Dohyo Restaurant is designed in the shape of a Japanese sumo wrestling ring, and the menu offers tapas style dining, with communal tables that rise out of the floor using a hydraulic system.
Yotel also boasts having the largest outdoor hotel space in New York City, a 4,000-square-foot terrace complete with cabanas, bamboo trees and a VIP area for cocktails or a leisurely meal.
The three other locations of Yotel in Europe are inside airport terminals and offer four to 24hour check-in rates, catered primarily to travellers in transit. The company is also bidding to launch a hotel at the JFK International Airport and aims to expand to cities across the U.S.
IF YOU GO
You'll also find Yotels at these airports: London Heathrow and Gatwick, Amsterdam Schiphol.
Visit www.yotel.com.
