Capsule hotels have been reinvented for a new generation of travellers.
The world's first capsule hotel was founded in Osaka, Japan in 1979 with neat rows of narrow sleeping capsules each containing a recumbent body. But the following day, the occupants – mostly businessmen who had worked late - would rise up and head back to the office, grateful for this efficient sleep solution that had saved them a commute home in the early hours.
胶囊旅馆已经随着旅游业的发展有了新的形态。
世界上最老的胶囊旅馆于1979年在日本大阪建成，里面整齐地摆放着一排排狭窄的睡眠胶囊舱，每个舱体里都躺着一个人。第二天，其中的居住者——主要是工作到很晚的商人们——会起身回到办公室，并由衷感谢这种高效的睡眠解决方案为他们节省了凌晨回家的通勤时间。
As the concept spread, tourists happy to sleep in a room no bigger than its bed began to bunk up alongside them, eager to sample this unusual aspect of Japanese culture. Fast-forward to today, and high hotel room rates, fuelled by years of rising real estate prices, have supercharged this typically low-cost concept, which offers budget travellers priced out of traditional hotels more privacy than a hostel dormitory and more comfort and connectivity than camping. The capsules, which are predominantly single-occupancy, also answer the current boom in solo travel, with single-sex capsule hotels providing additional security.
随着这一概念的传播，乐于睡在房间跟床一样大的床上的游客们也加入了商人们的行列，渴望体验一下日本文化中这一不同寻常的方面。时间推到今天，再这些年房地产价格上涨的推动下，胶囊旅馆的低价住宿费特色，也吸引了经济型旅游者们在付出更少的房价的同时，获得比宿舍更有个人隐私空间，但比露营更舒适的住宿体验。这些胶囊旅店主要提供单人住宿，满足了目前单人旅行热潮的需求，也提供了额外的安全保障。
With the global capsule hotel market projected to reach $327m by 2031, curious hybrids have emerged to sustain the trend and attract new customers. They're tempting the TikTok generation with increasingly outlandish forms, from upcycled sewer pipes in the Colombian desert to space-age pods with a dashboard of ambient controls in downtown Sydney, Australia – all promising a unique experience and shareable stories for social media.
随着全球胶囊酒店市场预计到2031年将达到3.27美元，更多混合型旅馆出现了，以维持胶囊酒店的住宿热并吸引新客户。他们以越来越新奇古怪的形式吸引着Tiktok一代，从哥伦比亚沙漠中的改装升级过的回收下水道到澳大利亚悉尼市中心带有环境控制仪表板的太空舱——所有这些给博主们带来了独特的体验和可以在社交媒体上分享的故事。
As the concept continues to reinvent itself, here are several examples of the most extraordinary examples.
随着胶囊酒店的设计理念的不断更新，让我们来看看几家极具代表性的胶囊酒店。
A sleep laboratory
Nine Hours, a chain of 13 hotels across Japan, from Fukuoka in the west to the north-east island of Hokkaido, has an unusual by-product: sleep data. In the Shinagawa Station (men only) and Akasaka branches, guests can sign up for a "9h sleep fitscan" service, where sensors detect everything from breathing to facial expressions to generate a sleep report that tracks their heart rate, identifies sleep apnea and even monitors snoring. In a sector where a novel or low-budget stay is often prioritised over comfort, Nine Hours' interest in how well its guests are sleeping sets it apart.
从日本西部的福冈到东北部的北海道，有着13家分店的日本连锁酒店“9小时”提供了一项不同寻常的额外服务：睡眠数据检测。在品川站（仅限男客）和赤坂分店，客人可以注册“9小时睡眠Fitscan”服务，传感器届时会检测从呼吸到面部表情的一切睡眠行为，生成一份睡眠报告，并跟踪他们的心率，识别睡眠中的呼吸暂停，甚至检测打鼾。在这样一个新奇元素或是低价为主导而非舒适的行业，九小时酒店对于客人睡眠质量的关注使得其显得与众不同。
Across the franchise, the white, minimalist decor continues this clinical theme, while its rows of sleek, shiny sleeping pods would not look out of place on the set of a science-fiction movie. The name refers to the hotel's cost-cutting concept that reduces room rental to the essential nine hours, allowing seven hours for sleep and an hour on either side for washing and dressing. Just need a nap? Hourly rates are also available.
公司上下以白色极简主义的装修风格延续了酒店的成本削减理念，其一排排光滑闪亮的睡眠藏哪怕放在科幻电影的片场中都能自然融入。酒店名字的含义来源于将房间租金减少到必要的9小时，即7小时的睡眠和1小时左右的稀疏和穿衣。只是想小睡一会儿？在这里你也可以找到钟点房的选项。
Climb to the sky
A night in a transparent sleeping pod clinging to a cliff face above Peru's Sacred Valley is not everyone's idea of a relaxing stay, but for adrenaline-lovers, it's hard to beat – not least for the incredible 300-degree views of the surrounding mountains and the formidable condors that inhabit them.
在秘鲁圣谷上方的悬崖上的一个透明睡眠仓内度过一晚，想来并不是每个人觉得这种过夜方式舒适，但对于热爱那些能让人肾上腺素飙升的运动的人们来说，这会是无与伦比的体验——更别提还有能一览周围山脉300度全景和栖息在群山中的秃鹰的体验了。
A near-vertical climb of 400m is the only way to reach the Skylodge Adventure Suites, but climbing experience is not necessary – only good health and a head for heights . Each capsule includes a private bathroom ensuring that night trips to the toilet are not life-threatening, and when the sun rises, you can enjoy a cup of tea on your private deck. Looking for a little more luxury? A little further down the Urubamba river, sister site, Starlodge, adds hillside hot tubs to the capsule hotel experience.
400米的近乎垂直的攀登路径是到达Skylodge Adventure Suites的唯一途径，但是这并不需要丰富的攀爬经验——只需要健康的身体和不恐高就行。每个胶囊中都包含了一个私人浴室，保证你大晚上的去上厕所不至于有什么生命危险，当太阳升起时，您还可以在私人平台上享用一杯茶。还想要更奢华的体验？在乌鲁班巴河下游稍远一些的地方，姊妹网站Starlodge还提供了山坡上的热水浴缸。
A desert oasis
The Tubo Hotel, La Tatacoa is just a 10-minute drive from Colombia's second-largest desert, the eponymous Tatacoa, famous for its clear starry skies. When you've taken in the giant cacti and curious rock formations of the Tatacoa's cinnamon-coloured sands, this rainbow of tiny, air-conditioned rooms with a shared swimming pool offers a welcome oasis. The 37 capsules are fashioned from concrete sewer pipes painted in candy colours, providing just enough room for a double bed. Almost half of the rooms have a shared bathroom, but the room rate is a snip and you've a shady garden, bar and restaurant on your doorstep. "This innovative and colourful place offers you a unique experience," says Ambar Quintana, the hotel's administrator. "It has everything you need to rest in a natural environment of fresh air and vegetation."
Tubo Hotel, La tatacoa酒店距离哥伦比亚第二大沙漠Tatacoa仅10分钟的车程，以其清澈的星空而闻名。当你行上完了Tatacoa肉桂色沙滩上巨大的仙人掌和奇特的岩层时，这座彩虹般的小型空调客房和共享的游泳池给旅行者们提供了一个栖息绿洲。37个胶囊房由涂着糖果色的混泥土下水管道制成，大小刚好能容纳一张双人床。虽然你要跟将近一半的房客共享浴室，但是房价很低，而且门口就有一座阴凉的花园，还有酒吧和餐厅。酒店管理员Ambar Quintana说：“这个创新而多彩的地方会为您带来独特的体验”，“它有你在充满新鲜空气和植被的自然环境中休息时所需的一切。”
（Source: bbc.com/travel）
