Turn Your Layover Frown Upside Down at This Futuristic Airport Transit Hotel

Check into YOTELAIR Amsterdam Schiphol for the best night’s sleep you’ll ever get past security.

show it : You’re on the second leg of a multi - stop air travel itinerary . You ’re sweaty , you ’re tired , your butt has most likely molded into the shape of astandard economy seat , and you ’re gearing up to brave a lengthy stop in an airdrome terminus that ’s been disconsolate and gated up for hours . The cards have been share , and whether it ’s due to misfortunate planning or unexpected delays , your handwriting leaves much to be desire .

That ’s precisely the plight I base myself in as my flight fromTenerifetouched down atAmsterdam ’s Schiphol Airportaround midnight on a drab wintertime eventide in late February . We taxied to the logic gate slowly , passenger shifting in their bottom , dying to deboard . I , for one , did not share their avidness . Thanks to programing issues , my connect flight to the States did n’t depart until noon the next day , so I was staring down a cool 12 - hr necropolis shift confined to the airport . It was too late to excuse heading into the city — even if I did n’t happen to bring on the first twenty-four hour period of a month - long transit strike — as anything worth doing or hear had already closed for the dark .

But all hope was n’t lose . Faced with the choice to either book a room at a nearby hotel or pack out on the intellectual nourishment court carpet for the foreseeable miserable future , I prefer for the former . But this time , I would n’t be flagging down a late - night shuttlecock bound for the tight generic cordial reception Ernst Boris Chain . or else , I had reserved my very own pod atYOTELAIR , a futuristic in - drome hotel offering lavish adjustable beds , paseo - in rain shower , Smart tv set , suitcase memory , and quick WiFi — all meticulously crammed into a“First Class - inspired”100 - square - foot cabin that does n’t even necessitate passing through security .

YOTELAIR

Sure beats spending the night on a food court floor.|YOTELAIR

YOTEL take a hop to life back in 2002,when Simon Woodroffe , theLondon - basedentrepreneur behind the popularYO ! Sushi restaurant mountain chain , got upgrade to First Class on a British Airways flying . Charmed by the agio seating ’s compact , flowing design and upmarket amenities , Woodroffe did n’t simply sit down back , relax , and enjoy the flight of steps . rather , he started brainstorming elbow room to replicate the experience on the ground as an alternative to the expensive yet drab and superannuated hotel that so often serve as afrequent flier’sonly respite .

Back on land , Woodroffe teamed up with fellow business concern guru and succeeding YOTEL CEO Gerard Greene to bone up a image for their new concept with assistance from aircraft internal design house Priestman Goode . By that time , Japanesecapsule hotelshad been providing last - minute guests with hyper - effective , bunk - sized lodgings for decades . But while these hotel were known to be clean and commodious , they miss any notion of lavishness , and stock perk like boob tube and private bathrooms were scarce . The yoke wanted to harness the advantages of a capsule hotel while still treating guests to a taste of the good life , even if only for a few hour between flights .

The first YOTELAIR touched down five years subsequently insideLondon ’s Gatwick Airport . The 2d edition adjust up store in Heathrow ’s Terminal 4 later that year , while Schiphol join the fast - growing camp in 2009 , all offer both overnight and by - the - hour accommodations . The company now run three brands spanning varying scopes and sizes — YOTELAIR , YOTEL , and YOTEL Pad — with 20 properties across Asia , Europe , and the US . In the works are plans to expand that number to 50 by 2025 , potentially by flippingoffice construction leave vacant during the pandemic .

Founder Simon Woodroffe was inspired by the First Class experience aboard a British Airways jetliner.|British Airways

Once off the planing machine , I set about tracking down my promise Adjustable SmartBed ™ . It was just past 1 am and the drome was dim and spookily quiet . sustentation faculty ambled by as I made my way of life through the end , passing a crime syndicate of four who confidently stride up to the KLM Crown Lounge ’s sliding trash doors only to realize that it , too , was shut . I follow arrow pointing me along corridors and around clusters of lounge cradling slumber ( or , more probable , scrolling ) travelers until I reached an escalator crowned by a star sign proclaiming YOTEL .

A few more whole tone and I was slipping through a neon - lit doorway tucked off to the side of a darken McDonalds . A very nice woman sat behind the belittled desk and , after navigating a quick snafu wherein we both realized I had erroneously booked my stay for the nightbeforethe dark I actually get in ( bring after midnight is catchy business organisation ) , offered me a hot Cup of Noodles and a nursing bottle of water and showed me down a violet - hued hall to my Premium Queen elbow room .

The compact infinite , which start at around $ 158 USD per night , was perfectly appointed , every point occupying its own neatly construct corner or cranny . The bottom was adjustable , as promise , and I spend some time diddle with the button and pretending I was in a Sleep Number commercial message . The bathroom was bigger than forebode , with a large walking - in rain shower , a toilet , and freestanding vanity , while the master life area was stock with underbed baggage storage and even a small closet for hang dress . A little desk slid out from beneath the ride flatscreen TV , geminate with a similarly obliterate shut down chair that was affixed to the wall . There was no natural sparkle source , but a windowpane into the hallway alleviated any claustrophobia and gave the effect of slumberingaboard a cruise ship .

British Airways

Founder Simon Woodroffe was inspired by the First Class experience aboard a British Airways jetliner.|British Airways

After contract my fill of substitute bed positions , I settled in with my soup and flipped on the tv set , delight to see a long list of channels including a bunch of international options spanning England , France , Germany , Russia , China , and the US . I ’m a soft touch for just about any awful British realness series , and toggling between the day’sPremier League scoresand First Dates made for a very pleasant air current - down period . Tucked into the gentle , downy covers , I eventually fall into place off the lights and drift off to sleep peacefully .

I thought the lack of natural light would mess with my first light routine , but I woke up feel rested and very quick for a shower . Said shower delivered , and before I have it off it , I was backpack up and quick to reach theKLM Crown Lounge(now subject , gratefully ) for a prompt coffee and breakfast before heading off to my gate . Latte in hand , I later strode down Schiphol ’s corridor , now very much alert with footsteps , yack , and PA announcements , dodging travelers trailing roller - bags with furrowed brows . And while I might have been face yet another full day wedged into an Economy seat , I find oneself myself feeling cheerful and very refreshed — thanks to my 12 - hour overnight layover ’s First Class upgrade .