International travel can be taxing on the body. For the economy class traveler, lengthy stopovers and late night naps on uncomfortable airport seats is a standard part of the travel experience.
Many travelers choose to sacrifice a decent night’s sleep in order to save a few hundred dollars on airfare, camping out under fluorescent departure lounge lights for several hours until their connecting flight.
Fortunately, airports around the world have begun adopting a new strategy to accommodate these red-eyed travelers- rentable sleeping boxes. The concept of a rentable space solely for the purpose of catching a few hours of shut-eye originates in Japan, but has quickly become popular around the world, and not just in airports.
Thousands of forward-thinking businesses around the world have begun to install “sleep pods” in their offices, taking advantage of the productivity boost delivered by well-rested workers.
Short power naps up to thirty minutes in length have been clinically proven in several studies to significantly enhance focus and mental alertness, assisting individuals with mentally taxing jobs in performing to a higher standard.
Unless you have a capsule hotel next to the place you work, however, taking a powernap is next to impossible. A new type of rentable micro-hotel has begun to pop up around the world in the last few years, however, created by an international sleep pod manufacturer that is creeping into airports all over the planet. The Sleepbox is a tiny mobile space that offers the bare necessities required to get some much-needed sleep.
About Sleepbox
The Sleepbox is one of the most well-designed purpose built sleep pods in the world, and can be found in airports and custom-built hotels all around the world. Launched in 2009, the Sleepbox is the creation of Arch Group, who designed the micro-hotel to provide a unique solution to the problem of urban napping.
Designers Mikhail Krymov and Alexey Goryainov, based out Moscow, created the original concept for the Sleepbox in 2007. Responsible for the designs of the Seasons Business Center in Moscow and the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, the Arch Group team launched the first Sleepbox unit at Sheremetyevo Airport in late 2008.
The Sleepbox design can now be found around the world, and has even spawned dedicated Sleepbox hotels in Taiwan and Thailand.
Goryainov, in a 2009 interview, stated that the Sleepbox was designed to address the security and hygiene issues that arise from sleeping in public, especially in airports. Users are able to rent a Sleepbox for as little as 30 minutes to several hours, and are provided with a wide range of innovative features that are critical to the frequent traveler.
Sleepbox Design & Construction
The Sleepbox measures in at just 2 meters by 1.4 meters, and is 2.3 meters tall. Inside the designers have crammed a small bed, LCD tv, and a wide range of other design features. The bed itself is two meters long, enough for even the tallest travelers to stretch out, while a build-in desk and laptop wall sockets provide digital nomads with the perfect working environment.
The Sleepbox also features dedicated WiFi and USB charging sockets, as well as an LCD TV. In order to counteract the somewhat claustrophobic size of the Sleepbox, the unit is complete with two one-way windows that allow weary travelers to take in the view outside. Depending on the unit, of which three are available, a fan ventilation system that provides 10 cycles of fresh air hourly or a dedicated AC unit is available.
Each Sleepbox provides an overhead light source, in addition to a reading lamp and several aesthetic LED light sources. The basic model, called the Innerspace, is designed only for temporary naps and doesn’t offer much in the way of creature comforts, but the medium range model Sleepbox Single offers luggage space under the bed, a stereo system, and plush floor carpet. Arch Group also make a double bunk-bed model for paired travelers.
The Sleepbox is incredibly light, weighing between 700 kg and 1000 kg depending on the unit, and is constructed entirely from MDF with an ash veneer. One of the first problems that comes to mind with a rentable sleeping space, however, is bedding.
The Arch Group team have devised a unique robotic sheet changing system that automatically rolls a new sheet over the bed and stores the used sheet, as well as a UV sterilization system to ensure cleanliness. In most cases, however, Sleepboxes are maintained by on-site support via operating partners, turning down the bedding after each use.
Where To Find A Sleepbox?
Arch group has incorporated the Sleepbox solution into a variety of interesting projects worldwide. Dedicated Sleepbox Hotels can be found in Bangkok, Thailand, and Taipei, Taiwan, but the most interesting location is the Moscow Sleepbox hotel, which fuses organic design aesthetic with connected individual Sleepbox pods.
Don Mueang Airport, Bangkok’s aging secondary airport hub, now boasts a Sleepbox in a somewhat misguided attempt to modernize without actually renovating, while more modern airports such as Sheremetyevo in Moscow, Minsk International Airport in Belarus, and Xi'an Xianyang International Airport in China’s Shaanxi Province offer entire rows of Sleepboxes ready to nap in.
Sleepbox Review Summary
While nothing compares to a shower, a change of clothes, and a good night’s sleep after a long flight, the Sleepbox is the ideal solution for travelers in need of a quick nap on a long layover. If you’re traveling internationally and spot a Sleepbox, it’s definitely worth trying out.
