This New York Capsule Hotel is Almost Fully Automated

Capsule hotels are getting a boost of interest lately. There’s been the introduction of the high-end SLEEEP in Hong Kong, and now a capsule hotel in New York seems to have taken their cue from the robot-run hotel in Japan.

The Yotel in New York is a hotel that has gone almost fully automated.

When you arrive at the Midtown west property (two blocks away from Times Square) you use automated kiosks to check-in and get your key, as traditional desks and agents are a thing of the past.

Your luggage is even transferred to a storage locker via a robot called YOBOT, and once you’re in your room if you need extra towels or toiletries another robot can deliver. There’s also fast, free wifi throughout the hotel.

If you have any questions you can ask the automated concierge via Yotel’s mobile app .

If you need a little wake-up, afternoon pick-me-up, or evening wind-down, there’s a dedicated YOTEL TV channel offering easy instructional videos in conjunction with the Mindfresh company.

If you want to take a peek, click here to try out a few of their videos. I did about half of “Unplug” designed for afternoon slumps, and while the video got stuck a few times, the music was relaxing and the poses got me away from my computer for a few minutes.

For anyone needing assistance that the automated systems cannot provide, there are still a couple humans on hand in the hotel.

Here’s a look at the hotel via a YouTube video from Futurism –

The Yotel New York joins Yotel locations at London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Paris CDG Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol. Coming this summer will be Boston and Singapore Yotel hotels, with more in the works.