First capsule hotel opens in Xi'an

Xi'an (CNS) -- As urbanization accelerates in China and the floating population grows larger and larger, tourists eager for bargains in convenient accommodations are becoming a significant market. On May 1, a capsule hotel opened in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, the first of its kind to get a license on the Mainland.

The capsule hotel concept was developed in space-hungry urban Japan. It features a large number of extremely small "rooms" (capsules) intended to provide cheap and basic overnight accommodation for guests not requiring the services offered by more conventional hotels.

The capsules in the Xi'an hotel are arranged on two floors, similar to the sleeper bunks in train cars, but sporting a TV set, dresser, computer desk, wireless broadband and other facilities. Each floor of the hotel provides self-service washing machines and a leisure zone.

The capsules are organized into twelve constellations; the Leo zone for example, is for the guests who snore when asleep. Capsules run from 58 to 68 per yuan per night.