1/18/10

Yotel at Schipol

On my way to Yotel at top level of Lounge 2:
Every airport should have one!

With four more hours to spare before my next KLM flight, I decided on bit of a splurge. No, not to shop even though Schipol - consistently ranked as one of Europe's best airports - is a mecca for shopping. After a rather sleepless overnight flight from New York and doing some sightseeing in Amsterdam, all I wanted was to sleep . . . and lay flat doing it. Unfortunately, there's nowhere I could do it inside an airport unless I sleep on the floor. There is a Mercure hotel right inside Schipol but that's not in my budget.


Here comes Yotel, a brainchild of British entrepreneur Simon Woodroffe. His concept is to bring an upgraded version of the Japanese capsule hotel into Europe. There are currently three branches: in London's Heathrow and Gatwick, and at Schipol in Amsterdam. When I found out about it before this trip, I thought about trying it out myself. After returning from my quick trip to the city, I went there right away, up into the top level of Lounge 2 next to where the food concourse is. Luckily, there was a room available. Minimum stay is 4 hours - which is just the amount of time I have left before my next flight - starting at 29 euros for a standard room.

My Yotel room with purplish mood lighting

I paid cash with my remaining euros and was given an electronic key to my room. It does look more 'spacious' than a standard Japanese capsule hotel: there's a bunk bed with an LCD TV, a rain shower (!), a folding chair, a fold-up table and free WiFi. There may not be windows to the world outside but it made me feel like I'm not in a busy airport at all. I felt so serene as I lay down in the comfy bed with duvet and fluffy pillows while the mood lighting (!) was turned on. This is 29 euros that's so worth it! I could forget about the WiFi and the TV and it's still a good value for weary transiting passengers - oh I wish all airports have this! In no short time, I was in dreamland. I awoke to my alarm clock feeling so rested and so ready for my next flight. But of course, I've got to use that rain shower before I check out.

15 comments:

  1. lawstude9:41:00 PM

    wow. galing naman. definitely way better than the cold steel benches of most airports here. i really envy your adventures, kailan kaya ako makakalabas ng southeast asia. i sometimes wish to throw all cautions in the air and just go.

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  2. Yotel? Haven't that one before, but hey, how cool is that? 29 euros for a priceless sleep...not a bad deal. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. wow.. that's a really good idea ha! nice room as well. :) Whoa sa shower, who would have thought they can squeeze that in. :)

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  4. i like the term for it. im actually showing this post to my friend who stayed in amsterdam for 8 months

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  5. that's a really neat idea, like the ones in Changi Airport.

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  6. Twenty nine euros for 4 hours of stay. Given the hotel rates in Europe that's cheap. Do they charge by the hour, per night of stay or how is the fee calculated?

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  7. The Nomadic Pinoy10:31:00 PM

    Your own adventures back home are also something I envy since I'm never there all the time. At some point in the near future, lalabas ka rin to explore the world outside southeast Asia.

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  8. The Nomadic Pinoy10:32:00 PM

    Hey Gigit, glad to see you back here. Hope to catch up on blog-hopping soon.

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  9. The Nomadic Pinoy10:35:00 PM

    That was my first reaction when I saw the shower. I wish this is available in all airports.

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  10. The Nomadic Pinoy10:35:00 PM

    Your friend must love Amsterdam more than the average tourist to stay there longer.

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  11. The Nomadic Pinoy10:36:00 PM

    Haven't been back to Changi for so long so I don't know they have ones similar to Yotel now.

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  12. The Nomadic Pinoy10:38:00 PM

    Hey Bert, initial charge is 29 euros for the first 4 hours and then it increases depending on the number of hours you stay. Yotel is geared mainly for those who want a quick rest.

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  13. eyelikeit! very cool and sophisticated. seems like a hole in a wall but relaxing to me.

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  14. I pass through Amsterdam regularly and I wasn't aware of Yotel ! What a good idea!

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  15. I've read 'bout this... great idea for anyone travelling thru London and Amsterdam...

    the closest to this downunder are the Formule1 hotels (part of Accor)...none of them are right at the airports though...

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