Capsules to the rescue when you need a nap
Print Edition
For sleep-deprived office workers needing a nap, China’s booming “sharing economy” has come up with a cheap, mobile-friendly solution: capsule hotels.
With an easy phone scan, customers can book a nap in a sleek white capsule — designed to look like a space pod — for just 10 yuan (US$1.50) for half an hour during the mid-day rush.
The rate drops to 6 yuan at other times.
“It’s really meeting a rigid demand as many professionals have a difficult time finding a nice private place to nap,” said Han Yue, operations manager at Xiangshui Space, a Beijing-based startup which launched the services in Beijing in May and has opened up in Shanghai and Chengdu.
Han said her capsules were different to Japan’s capsule hotels, because she was targeting a different type of customer, those looking for a quick nap, not a full night’s sleep.
The company plans to extend to Qingdao, Nanjing and Shenzhen by the end of the month or early August, she said.
China’s expanding “sharing economy,” exemplified by the success of bike-sharing companies, has inspired a wave of similar enterprises backed by a funding frenzy powered by angel investors and venture capital firms.
China’s “sharing economy” is expected to grow about 40 percent this year to 4.83 trillion yuan.
By 2020, it could account for a 10th of gross domestic product.
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