‘I stayed in London’s smallest hotel room and it’s a claustrophobe’s worst nightmare’

Zedwell Capsule Hotel will save you money, but the room – or capsule – is as tight as you can get

Some hotel rooms nowadays resemble more of a penthouse apartment than a basic place to stay, offering lounges, reception rooms and bedrooms that take up hundreds of square feet in prime central London real estate and come with the price to match.

But one hotel is doing the opposite. Picture yourself stepping into a small pod, barely longer than your bed, not much taller than your waist, but still in the heart of the West End.

Capsule hotels, which began in Japan in the late 1970s as ultra-efficient places to sleep for commuters, have now made their way around the world for visitors just after a comfortable bed, without all the other faff.

One hotel in Piccadilly Circus has brought the idea to London, copying the ideas of Tokyo and Osaka to maximise space and give people access to all the city has to offer without having to splash extortionate amounts of cash.

In Tokyo or Osaka, these pods are a clever way to maximise space in tight­knit cities. At the Zedwell Capsule Hotel, they do much of the same, offering a cheap and economic way of staying as central as you could imagine.

At this new hotel in the legendary London Pavilion building above Piccadilly Circus station, hundreds of sleep-capsules have been installed, with shared bathrooms. Each ‘cocoon’ is framed in natural oak, windowless by design, fitted with sound-reducing walls, ambient lighting, and mattresses.

Booking himself into a pod for the night was social media reviewer Alex Dodman, who shared the experience with his hundreds of thousands of followers.

On entering, he said: “Stay overnight (in London), a hotel room would cost you well over £200, or if you are in the hostel lifestyle with your guitar, you could share a room with about ten other people for £40.

“But if you’re an introvert like me and the idea of being in a room with another human being makes you feel sick, this place now offers the best of both worlds. It’s cheap and you can shut yourself off from any social interaction.”

But make no mistake, these are not traditional hotel rooms. They’re cosy to say the least. For someone who likes to move around, stretch out, or simply enjoy space, they may feel like a tight squeeze.

Alex said: “For anyone with a dose of claustrophobia, it might just be the ultimate test. Book it if you’re after central location, convenience and a quirky stay, just be ready for something very, very compact.

“Now, if you’re claustrophobic, this could be your worst nightmare, as when you shut that door, it does feel tight.

“Your pods are in a dorm with about 50 other ones in here, so basically it is a glorified hostel but with a box around your mattress so you don’t have to see anyone.”

If you book in advance, you can pick up a room for as little as £30 a night, but for popular weekends or booking closer to the time, prices can range north of £60.