Snoozing in a pod: Trying the latest accommodation trend
<p class="gmail-p1"><em>Travel writer Justine Tyerman snoozes in a ‘pod’ in Christchurch.</em></p>
<p class="gmail-p1">I snoozed in a pod the other night. As I nestled down under the cosy duvet, I felt blissfully secure, warm and comfortable as a storm raged outside.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">I've stayed in many hotels and lodges around the world, from ritzy to rustic, but Snooze in Christchurch is the coolest of them all. Warm, welcoming, friendly and decidedly quirky, it fills a gap at the affordable end of the Christchurch accommodation market.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">The two-storey facility which opened on November 1 last year, sleeps over 270 guests in a variety of formats.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">The majority of the accommodation is made up of rooms with eight semi-enclosed ‘pods’, four at ground level, and four accessed by ladder. </p>
<p class="gmail-p1">If you are a group of eight friends or family members, you can have a whole eight- pod room to yourselves. If not, you share with others much like a backpackers hostel… except you have a private capsule with a pull-down blind, a king-single bed with a fitted lower sheet, pillow, duvet, light, fan, temperature control, mirror, power and USB points, and free Wi-Fi.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">It took me back our days of tramping and ski club huts but with a quantum leap up the scale of comfort, privacy and sophistication. </p>
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<p style="text-align: center;" class="gmail-p1"><em>There are eight semi-enclosed ‘pods’ per room, four at ground level, and four accessed by ladder.</em></p>
<p class="gmail-p1">Unlike the Asian sleeping capsule concept, the pods are surprisingly spacious with plenty of head room to sit up and move around. Underneath there's a sizeable locker with a combination lock for secure storage. Simple, spotlessly clean and shiny, and inviting, pods can be rented per night, per week or by the hour for travellers wanting to sleep between flights. Pod-dwellers share generous, immaculately-clean bathroom and shower facilities just down the hall. </p>
<p class="gmail-p1">For those who don’t want to share, Snooze also offers private single, twin, queen and family rooms with ensuite bathrooms. Cleverly designed to maximise the use of space, the super-comfortable beds are raised higher than usual off the ground providing ample room for bulky cases and packs underneath. The rooms have a large flat screen TV in a wooden frame, a shiny white bathroom with a big mirror, roomy shower, great water pressure . . . and a hairdryer in the bedside cabinet with a note saying ‘It’s the little things that matter’. After two weeks on the road in a motorhome, I beamed at the hairdryer as if I had found hidden treasure.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;" class="gmail-p1"><em>The pods are spacious and inviting.</em></p>
<p class="gmail-p1">The decor is predominantly white which gives the rooms a clean, bright look but JUCY’s trademark colours pop up on the green doors and purple ‘proverbs’ on the walls like ‘Why stop dreaming when you wake up?’ and ‘Wish it, Dream it, Do it.’</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">The friendly atmosphere in the shared kitchen and common room also reminded me of the fun we’ve had in tramping huts over the years – travellers from all parts of the globe speaking many different languages, making new friends, cooking together, sharing food, wine and beer, swapping recipes and addresses, and planning the next stage of their adventures.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">The kitchen, with its long stainless steel bench, cookers, ovens, dishwashers and fridges, was abuzz with activity and animated conversation at dinner and breakfast times. Such a warm, congenial, colourful scene. It was heart-warming to see young travellers from countries whose leaders are not on good terms with each other ignoring the feuds and getting on so well together. The communal concept really appeals to me.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">The large high-ceiled common room has a variety of dining, sitting, lounging and relaxing options including hammocks, a garden swing, comfy bean bags and oversized cushions. Wi-Fi is free and there are ample power points to recharge technology.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;" class="gmail-p1"><em>Justine in the Snooze common room.</em></p>
<p class="gmail-p1">During my stay, I noticed a collection of camping gear in one corner of the common room: sleeping bags, tents, eating and cooking utensils, fold-up chairs, a multi-plug board and even a couple of candles, all in good order. A note from Simon, Mieneke and Marjet said: ‘Free camping stuff. Everything is complete and works properly. Enjoy!’ To me, this seemed to typify the generous-natured ethos of the place.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">Walking distance from the airport, the accommodation complex, owned by New Zealand company JUCY, and has already welcomed over 25,000 guests.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">Manager Anna Flores from Barcelona says the occupancy rate went from about 60 percent in the first few months to 85-90 percent at the start of this year and is now hovering around 80 percent</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">From Tuesday to Saturday between 3pm and 7pm, a JUCY travel consultant gives free advice and information about what to do and see around New Zealand. The weather was appalling while I was there so Mike was fully occupied, offering suggestions about what to do on a rainy day in Christchurch.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;" class="gmail-p1"><em>The hammocks are a great place to relax.</em></p>
<p class="gmail-p1">The reception desk is manned 24 hours a day with friendly, knowledgeable, capable staff like Alannah who has been at Snooze since Day 1. There are also two booths providing a computerised check-in process.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">Snoozers also have access to luggage storage and a laundry with coin-operated washing machines and dryers. A free shuttle service runs at regular intervals between Snooze, JUCY Rentals and Christchurch Airport.</p>
<p class="gmail-p1">Right next door to Snooze, there are cafes, bars, restaurants and a supermarket. </p>
<p class="gmail-p1">Assistant manager Juan Barrera from Mexico says the majority of the guests come from Europe and Asia and are in their 20s and 30s although Snooze is also popular with older travellers and family groups.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;" class="gmail-p1"><em>Artist Wongi Wilson's ‘Pockets of Awesome’.</em></p>
<p class="gmail-p1">The guests I chatted to raved about the Snooze concept with its informal, convivial, communal vibe. Solo travellers told me it’s a great place to make friends and find travel companions. There’s no such thing as loneliness here, they said.The whole place exudes personality, even the stairwell – it’s decorated with colourful murals depicting Christchurch street scenes. Artist Wongi Wilson calls them ‘Pockets of Awesome’.</p>
<p class="gmail-p2"><em>*Pods range in price from $30 and private rooms from $99. There’s a Snooze in Auckland and one planned for Queenstown. Visit, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.jucysnooze.co.nz/?gclid=CN3Hs_W7rNMCFYuTvQodbSMAIw" target="_blank">www.jucysnooze.co.nz</a></strong></span>.</em></p>
<p class="gmail-p1"><em>Image credit: Justine Tyerman</em></p>
