Call it space utilization or just the frenzy over shrinking everything but the ‘capsule hotel movement’ is on the rise!

Yes, while hoteliers across the globe strive to offer their guests spacious rooms and abundant facilities, there’s another group who are concentrating more on optimum use of space. So, the future of hotel rooms may very well revolve around personal sleeping pods. These pods are about seven feet long and three feet wide and the brain child of British company Podtime. They are gaining traction worldwide as part of the capsule hotel movement.

Downscaled sleeping quarters are quickly cropping up on the travel scene. Pod hotels first took off and gained most of their popularity in Japan. In Japan’s airports, travellers shack up in sleep-controlled capsules called the ‘Nine Hours Capsule Hotel’.

These pods are like right out of a sci-fi movie- sleek, sexy and maybe too small for comfort. You may even find them claustrophobic but the makers have assured that the pods are spacious enough and it won’t be an issue. The single bunk pods are arranged all in all to form a hotel, it has LED lights inside, a mirror, privacy blinds and a lockable luggage space underneath. Two of them can stack up to make a pod bunk, ladder and all. Optional extras include memory foam mattresses, shelving and a high-tech card entry system.

The best part is that you can spend five nights in a podtel at the price of one night in a hotel, according to Paul Grindrod, Podtime’s Director. Now, that’s a good deal, isn’t it?

According to Podtime’s founder, Jon Gray, his pods are about to infiltrate the industry in a major way. “We have a couple of deals to build these hotels in Tel Aviv and Helsinki,” he told The Telegraph. “And we’re looking very closely at launching Podtels in airports. Currently, Podtime’s pods are used in a hotel in Moscow.