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Bell Underest

Capsule Hotels

Four houses built on a repeating cabin plan are gathered here. Sleeping space is small and standardised, and the shared parts of the house carry everything else. Each of the four is one address of a wider group that uses the same name elsewhere, so every entry names the town and says which group the house belongs to.

The inside of a compact sleeping cabin with a fitted control panel above the bed.

The common thread is repetition. One cabin is much like the next, corridors repeat floor by floor, and what varies between houses is the shared ground level and the amount of washing space kept in common.

The entries at a glance

01 / 04

YOTEL Edinburgh

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

A compact white cabin with a fitted bed, a desk at the window and a purple floor.

In brief

YOTEL Edinburgh sits on Queen Street in the New Town, at the northern edge of the city centre. It is one address of an international group that builds its houses around compact cabins rather than conventional rooms, and other houses under the same name work the same way. Sleeping space is small, and the shared floor carries the rest.

The building

Cabins are laid out along internal corridors, each fitted with a bed, a wet room and storage worked into the walls. The plan repeats floor by floor, so one cabin is much like the next. A ground floor with a bar, a counter for food and open seating handles arrival, working and eating.

Things to note

Cabin windows vary, and some look onto light wells, so ask what a given grade offers. Luggage space is limited by design. Because the group runs houses in several cities, confirm that a booking names the Edinburgh address before you travel.

02 / 04

easyHotel Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland

A narrow hotel room with a bed against a dark headboard and a window to one side.

In brief

easyHotel Zurich is one address of a European budget group that fits out narrow, identical rooms and offers services as separate items. The house stands in Zurich and is not the group's only property, so the name alone does not identify it. Rooms are compact and plainly finished, and the shared parts of the house are kept small.

The building

Rooms run off both sides of a straight corridor, each with a bed, a shower room and little else. Fittings repeat from room to room, and windows are the main difference between them. Public space is limited to a reception counter and a small seating area near the entrance, with no restaurant or lounge attached to it.

Things to note

Items such as luggage storage and daily housekeeping may be handled separately rather than included, so read what a rate covers. Some rooms have no window; ask when booking. Check that your confirmation names Zurich, since the group uses the same name across several countries.

03 / 04

CABINN Vejle

Vejle, Denmark

A twin-bed hotel room with a tall padded headboard and a window onto neighbouring roofs.

In brief

CABINN Vejle belongs to a Danish group that runs houses of identical compact cabins in several towns, and this is its address in Vejle, in eastern Jutland. The plan is the one used across the group rather than something made for this town. Rooms are small and standardised, and the shared ground floor carries breakfast and reception.

The building

Cabins are built to a single fitted plan, with berths or a bed, a compact bathroom unit and fixed storage. Corridors are plain and repeat on each floor. The ground level holds a reception desk, a breakfast room and some seating, and there is little other public space in the house.

Things to note

Sizes are graded rather than varied, so a larger cabin is a longer version of the same layout. Breakfast is usually handled as an extra item. Since the group operates under one name in several towns, make sure a booking names Vejle rather than another location.

04 / 04

First Cabin Kyoto Kawaramachi Sanjo

Kyoto, Japan

An open sleeping cabin in a row, with a bed, a small table and a screen at the entrance.

In brief

First Cabin Kyoto Kawaramachi Sanjo is one house of a Japanese group whose cabins are sized between a capsule and a small room. It stands near the Kawaramachi and Sanjo streets in central Kyoto, and the group runs other addresses in the city and elsewhere in Japan. Sleeping is done in the cabin, while washing is shared.

The building

Cabins are arranged in rows on single-sex floors, each closed with a screen rather than a door and fitted with a bed, a light and a rail for hanging clothes. Luggage lockers stand at the entrance to each floor. A shared bathing area with a large bath and washing stations sits within the house.

Things to note

Cabins are not lockable, so valuables go in the lockers provided. Floors are separated by sex, which affects parties booking together. Confirm the branch named on your reservation, as the group uses similar names for more than one house in Kyoto.

Before you use this page

Bell Underest is an independent reference and sells nothing. Everything here comes from published sources and from the groups' own material, and any of it can change without notice. Because each house is one address among several under the same name, check that a booking names the right town. Confirm every detail with the property before you travel.

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