Encapsulated Luxury – The 9h Capsule Hotel by Fumie Shibata in Kyoto, Japan

Japan’s capsule hotels are often a strange concept to foreigners, but the idea is an ingenious way to handle city crowding and space constraints. The first capsule hotel in Japan was built in 1979 in Osaka. The new 9h Capsule Hotel will open in December 2009 in the Japanese city of Kyoto.

Capsule hotels provide guests a private sleeping area and communal amenities. While the concept has previously been utilized as a cheaper hotel option, the 9h capsule hotel adds luxury and refinement. The bed capsule will be made up with 4-star hotel linens and provides a Panasonic system that uses light to naturally and comfortably wake you up. Fumie Shibata of Design Studio S is the mastermind behind the 9h capsule hotel.

‘A comfortable place to rest … 1 hour shower, sleep for 7 hours, have a one hour break / total 9h.’ Guests can spend up to 17 hours in a single stay – the price for one night is ¥4900 ($54,-). (dsgnwrld) Via: Jessica Marcel

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References: dsgnwrld, designerblog.it

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In-Room iPods – The Upper House Ditches Paper Directories

Dog-eared hotel guides and room service menus covered with coffee stains and ripped out pages are a thing of the past at The Upper House, Hong Kong’s newest boutique luxury hotel. Guests open the drawer of their spacious, six-foot wooden desks to find nothing but an iPod Touch instead.

The wireless device has been completely customized by The Upper House. A quick finger-tap and you’re neck deep in all the hotel’s secrets; from the hours of the stylish Sky Lounge to the availability of complimentary mountain bikes.

It gets better—The Upper House application is interactive, encouraging guests to finger-flip through a menu and then order room service. A quick phone call from the kitchen confirms your order, just in case.

Finally, the addition of typical iPod apps like weather and stock information make this innovative gadget a must-have for any traveler in a foreign city. In-room iPods are the way of the future: efficient, eco-friendly and stylish.

This post was created on a Samsung Netbook as a part of a sponsored campaign with Samsung.  Via: Jacob Courtade – HotHotelReviews

References: upperhouse, trendhunter

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Hong Kong’s Upper House Hotel Does Technology Right

Where: 88 Queensway, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Technology is meant to be all about making our lives easier, right? The newly-opened Upper House Hotel in Hong Kong seems to have got this figured out just right.

The hi-tech experience starts from the airport transfer in a (good-for-the-environment) hybrid Lexus car, because this car has got WiFi on board, and it’s free for you to use for the whole ride to the hotel, and back. This would sure give us a great first impression, and it sounds like it continues, because the Upper House provides free internet connection (WiFi and wired) throughout all the guest rooms and public areas of the hotel.

Things get even more convenient – for example, check-in can be done by any staff member anywhere in the hotel using their laptop computers, so you don’t have to hang around at a desk. On the day you leave, your final bill along with your credit card settlement is emailed to you, so you’re then free to leave without queuing at a desk either.

And the touch we really like is that the Upper House has thrown at the paper-based hotel directories and replaced them – not with the now-traditional TV menus – but by putting an iPod Touch in every room so we can use it to find all the info we want. If you want to experience some of this technology for yourself, they have an opening two-nights-for-one special going for HK$3,388 ($440), so get in fast.  by amandak – HotelChatter

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