Sleep boxes are finally making their way to Hong Kong: Think large coffins with Wi-Fi
By Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor 26 January, 2012
Shelves for storing sleeping humans.
Popular in Japan, the capsule hotel may finally take root in Hong Kong.
Eric Wong, managing director of Galaxy Stars Ltd., is bringing the sleep box to the city to provide cheap, basic accommodation.
Each capsule measures about 90 by 180 centimeters, comfortable for a small adult, but they can also be tailored to fit any size.
For now, Wong only has a showroom for the capsules and they cannot be rented for use at the moment. He hopes to partner with hoteliers in the future to open a capsule hotel in Hong Kong.
"Since the Facebook page has gone up, I’ve already been contacted by tourists interested in a place to stay on vacation," said Wong.
"The actual hotel is ideal for the Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok area since that’s where most tourists look for a hotel."
Like Japan, Hong Kong is short on space and during peak holiday seasons hotels are often at full occupancy.
Wong's long-term goal is to bring the capsule hotel to mainland China, locating them at the high-speed rail stations and eventually moving to Southeast Asia.
But in Hong Kong, Wong is also targeting another niche consumer -- the student.
If a group of 15-20 university students is willing to rent a capsule dormitory together, Wong will find property near their university and fit it out with his capsules.
Rent for a capsule dormitory would run to about HK$3,500 a month per capsule space.
"We will be strict about the hours of water and electricity supply in order to be efficient about management," said Wong. "So students must accept this condition."
www.galaxystarshk.com, Galaxy Stars Ltd. on Facebook
After traveling around the world on a fistful of dollars, Zoe returns to Hong Kong, where she grew up, to discover and write about all the inspiring stuff that happens here on a daily basis.
Image Courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center, The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
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