I stayed in London’s £30-a-night capsule hotel – this is what it was really like

Christmas party season is coming and you may need to bed down in London to enjoy the festivities to the full.

Unfortunately, cheap hotels seem to be a thing of the past – especially in the city centre. When we looked for stays for a Thursday night in December, we found a Premier Inn Hub in London’s Brick Lane for £95 and a Travelodge near Tower Bridge for £86. 

But there is a new cheaper alternative. The Zedwell Capsule Hotel opened its doors in September – and, when we looked, a bed for the same night was a steal at just £30.

Video: Should you book central London's cheapest hotel?

The hotel, housed in the former London Pavilion in Piccadilly Circus, is the world’s largest capsule hotel with nearly 1,000 pods spread across five floors. 

The Japanese concept caters for those looking for a cheap and functional overnight stay. ‘A smarter way to stay in the city,’ it states on its website. ‘Comfortable, central, and cheaper than a taxi ride home.’ But what is it really like to stay in one?

Having moved from London to rural Suffolk during the pandemic, my last train is an antisocial 9pm – so I was excited to find out if this was a wallet-friendly solution to my nights out ending too early.

Sleeping pods ‘windowless by design’

I booked a few weeks in advance and paid £40 for a capsule in a mixed dorm (female-only spaces are also available). 

The Grade II-listed building is currently clad in scaffolding, but inside the lobby it is modern and minimalist. I enter my details into the touchscreen to check-in and validate my keycard – which are for the dorms, rather than the individual sleep pods themselves. 

Each dorm contains between eight and 100 cocoons. I suspect mine, on the third floor, sits on the higher end of this scale. 

The enormous, elongated room is flanked by numbered pods stacked two-high – with wooden steps to access the upper level (like climbing into a top cupboard). You can request a high or low capsule in advance, if you have a preference. 

There are no windows – a deliberate design to limit energy use and dull the roar from the street below. There’s something unmistakably morgue-like about the setup. 

The world’s largest capsule hotel

After a bit of hunting, I locate my capsule on ground level and roll up the shutter for the big reveal. And, it’s tiny. I was expecting that of course, but it’s only when I find myself commando crawling inside (all 5ft 3 of me) that I realise just how minuscule. 

It is the exact dimensions of a single-size mattress – and while shorties like me can sit upright, standing is impossible.

The pod is oak-lined with a comfy Hypnos mattress and Egyptian cotton sheets. There is a shelf at the back illuminated by strip lighting, a plug socket and USB port. 

Each pod is equipped with high-speed wifi and a personal air conditioning unit. But, even with this switched on (and amid a November cold spell), it feels uncomfortably stuffy, hot and airless.

Bring a towel, or hire one

There’s no space for big luggage – you will need to store those in the lockers downstairs. Towels are £5 to hire for use in the shared bathroom, which has plenty of toilet and shower cubicles. There is liquid hand soap next to the sinks, but no shower gel or shampoo.

You can lock your pod from the inside for security. But if you want to safely store your belongings while you’re out, you’ll need to bring a padlock or buy one from the vending machine downstairs for £8. Other items, including bottled water, slippers and dental kits, are also available.

So what was the pod like to sleep in? Apart from the heat, it was surprisingly comfortable. The capsules are well soundproofed, and I slept soundly – for the most part. There was only a brief moment of alarm when I woke up in the night and momentarily forgot where I was.

For a split second, I could relate to that irrational but common fear of being buried alive.

One famous pub chain with rooms has been named Great Value in our recent survey of the best UK hotel chains

Would I stay in a Japanese-style capsule hotel again?

Yes, for the right price. Book in advance for the best deals. When we checked dates in December, prices ranged from £29 to £62 – with a New Year’s Eve stay costing £101.50. But next time I’m bringing a towel, padlock and packing summer pyjamas – regardless of the weather outside.

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