Capsule hotels are a phenomenon that began in Japan. These hotels feature a large number of extremely small rooms, or ‘capsules’, with the intention of providing cheap, basic accommodation.
Guests are provided lockers to store their luggage and share communal bath rooms. Some capsule hotels have restaurants, vending machines, pools and entertainment rooms.
The first ever capsule hotel was the Capsule Inn Osaka, opened in 1979. Since then, capsule hotels have been introduced into China and Singapore, and western versions have popped up.