Capsule hotel to open in St Leonards-on-Sea

A capsule hotel offering rooms at £30 per night is due to open near Hastings in May.

Inspired by Japanese capsule hotels, Pod Central close to the station in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, is expected to appeal to anyone seeking an affordable, no-frills place to sleep for the night.

The 16 pods stacked in pairs will each offer a reading light, earplugs, USB ports and free WiFi, alongside shared bathroom facilities.

Pod Central is described as an energy-saving development with underfloor heating, LED lighting, motion sensor lighting, and eco-friendly toiletries.

Founded by managing director Bryan O'Lynn (pictured), Pod Central is believed to be the first hotel in the UK to have only capsule rooms. St Christopher's Inn at the Village in Borough High Street, London, which opened in 2017, offers pods alongside standard rooms.

"Once I heard about capsule hotels in Japan and Holland, I saw a gap in the market locally for this type of accommodation," said O'Lynn, a property developer who intends to open 20 more Pod Central sites located near to railways stations in major cities such as Liverpool, Bristol, Plymouth and Manchester.