In foreign media, the story of staying in a tiny room in a “micro-hotel” in the city of Zhengzhou, where the toilet bowl “turned” into a bedside table, received wide discussion. We remembered in which other countries you can find the most hotels and rooms.
Toilet replaced bedside table
The hotel, which offers mini-rooms with a toilet next to the bed for 60 yuan ($8.7 per night), has sparked heated discussions in China and abroad.
Blogger Hei Mao Zhang shared his experience of staying in an 8 square meter room in a hotel in a residential area of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province in central China. His story, which went viral, was published by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning News.
The blogger spent only three hours in the room, noting that in addition to the bed and toilet, it has air conditioning, a washbasin, a mirror, a clothes hanger, a kettle, a fan, and even a painting.
However, most of all, the guest was not surprised by the small size of the room, but by the location of the main furniture and household items. As it turned out, the bed is close to the toilet, because, as Hei Mao Zhang diplomatically reported, there was an unpleasant smell in the room. But the benefit of the toilet next to the bed was: it replaced the bedside table.
According to the innkeeper, micro-rooms are in high demand. Most of the guests are patients or relatives visiting a large medical center nearby. Also, rooms are often rented for several days by students who are preparing for exams.
A room in a hotel in Zhengzhou has already been named not only the smallest but also the cheapest in China. In comparison, a capsule hotel in Shanghai, where each guest is offered only a bed and a shared toilet for everyone, costs 35 yuan per night.
There is a room in the UK that is less than half a parking space
However, a tiny hotel room is not a rarity in the world. For example, the Corbigoe Hotel in London offers a room that is half the size of a standard UK parking space (11.5 sqm).
The smallest single room in the hotel is only 5 square meters. m: there is only a narrow single bed. But the price of a room, from which claustrophobics should stay away, corresponds to the level of a full-fledged hotel room: in the season, they ask for 50-60 pounds per night for a “tiny bug”.
One of the guests commented on spending the night in a room, the area of which is half the size of the average prison cell in the country.
“Every movement must be planned. Otherwise, you can hit or hit something with your hands,” he wrote.
The smallest hotels in the world and Europe
In Germany, in the city of Amberg (Bavaria), Eh’haeusl has been operating for almost three centuries. According to the municipality of Amberg, the total area of this hotel is only 56 square meters, which makes Eh’haeusl the smallest hotel in the world.
Sandwiched between two buildings, the hotel can accommodate only… two guests at a time, making it especially popular with honeymooners. Despite the modest size, this mini-hotel has a bedroom with a double bed and a jacuzzi. The price for a single room starts from 240 euros per day. Not bad, I agree.
And the hotel in the city of Enrum in the Netherlands, despite its loud name – Grand Hotel De Kromme Raake – is one of the smallest in Europe.
Housed in a grocery store building, it offers… just one room in art deco interiors. According to travelers, you need to book a room several months in advance. The cost of spending the night here, by the way, is almost half as much as in a German hotel – 125 euros.
The smallest capsule hotel in the world
Japan is the country where capsule hotels first appeared. And the smallest room in a capsule hotel in the world is also here. This is CapsuleInn in Osaka, where the “room” area is only 2 square meters.
It is noteworthy that for some reason only men are allowed to stop in such a compact capsule. All capsules have flat-screen TVs, power outlets, alarm clocks, and reading lights. Overnight stay will cost 64 euros.