Airone Capsule Hotel: Your Two Cubic Metres Of Hobart

Mark Ferguson

"Mark Ferguson spent the night at Airone Capsule Hotel in Hobart where pod rooms are just two cubic metres and shares his experience with Holiday Goddess."

Airone Capsule Hotel delivers a comfortable bed and good shower. For as little as $68 per night. What more do you need?

There are two dorms – female and mixed – each with a dozen or more capsules.

In the wood and white pods, there is a towel and a duvet, a control panel and 2 wall hooks. The panel controls ventilation, the door lock, and the light colour. There are 2 USB-A ports and no power points. The only luxury is a choice of White, Pink, Green, Blue or Yellow Light.

Unlike Japan where the capsules are individual well-insulated units – those in Airone are more like built-ins without insulation so you will hear the nocturnal rustling and snoring.

There are no staff, 2 washers and 2 dryers and cameras in the common areas. The shared men’s bathroom has 3 showers and 2 toilets and a hairdryer – this Goddess couldn’t check the ladies. Unlike a private bathroom room there was the occasional traces of DNA.

At the front there’s a lobby and a small courtyard at the rear. The lobby was more of the kitchen with a fridge facing a pane-glass front. So rather than exposing the early morning shoppers to my pyjamas and muesli, I had breakfast in the courtyard wearing an overcoat against the brisk Tassy morning.

You also get a locker – large enough for a carry-on. The challenge for pod life is your capsule, luggage and the bathrooms are separated by public areas, so strategy is required to ensure you are equipped to perform essential tasks. I noticed other podders just left luggage outside their capsule due to their size or for convenience.

After the first day’s complicated trip to the shower in my PJs, with my day clothes and wet pack, I choose to change horizontally in the capsule – a challenging task without banging the walls or ceiling.

Essentials to Pack:

Pyjamas – If you’re accustomed to sleeping in just Chanel No 5 you should be prepared for a midnight dash to the ‘loo.
Ear Plugs –Mostly podders strove not to disturb others though someone a few along made a long phone call about 10 pm.
No capsule power points – There are some power points in the kitchen and make sure you bring a USB-A cable for your capsule – that’s the old oblong one.
Laundry Powder – DIY while you shower.
Coat hanger – There’s a valet rod in your locker so I regretted not having a couple of folding hangers to organize my things better.
Marker Pen – Label your champagne and croissants in the fridge.
Shampoo and Conditioner – There are soap and combined shampoo/conditioner dispensers in the showers though the latter never left me with tangle free combing.
Self-Awareness – If you lock your key card in your capsule or locker, you’ll be waiting around for the mid-morning cleaners.

Hobart hotels can be very expensive. Airone provides a reasonable option if you just need somewhere to shower, launder and sleep in the centre of Hobart.

Catch the public bus the MONA, its faster, more frequent, and exactly a tenth of the price of the ferry.