Central Railway is all set to start its first Pod hotel at affordable rates with modern facilities at CMST by the end of this month. The hotel has 58 beds including 50 for adults and eight for children including separate pods for women. "Construction work of this Pod hotel is almost completed, finishing work will be completed by next week," said an officer of CR.
Minimum charges for one bed will be just Rs 499 for 12 hours. This capsule hotel, also popularly known as a Pod hotel is equipped with all modern facilities such as fully air-conditioned, intercom, smoke detectors, charging points, wi-fi, reading lights, luggage handling facilities, separate eating zone and bathing facilities.
There are 30 single beds (including 8 for women) available in this Pod hotel at CSMT. Apart from that, six double and four family pods are also available in this hotel. Around 50 pairs of long-distance trains are operated from the CSMT which are used by over one lakh of passengers daily.
What is a Pod hotel?
A Pod hotel has several small bed-sized capsules and provides affordable overnight accommodation. Hundreds of passengers coming from other states to Mumbai either return the same day or stay overnight. However, for many of them, the hotels and lodging facilities in the city are unaffordable, this is where the Pod hotel will be in demand.
"This will prove a game-changer, especially for those who are not able to afford the heavy charges of luxurious hotels of south Mumbai. The concept will best suit frequent travellers, corporate executives and study groups etc.," said Shivaji Sutar CPRO CR adding that passengers will get the accommodation at affordable rates at this Pod hotel, also known as capsule hotels.
"Capsule hotels have arrived from the idea of fulfilling the basic needs of people when they travel. They need a place to have a good night's sleep, a clean bathroom, and peace. All three things are provided by capsule hotels. This type of accommodation has replaced the idea of private single rooms and has given an alternative at the lowest possible price. They look like an aircraft cockpit and are generally placed in the large hallway stacked in two layers. While some people think capsules are only made to sleep, these new types of hotels have evolved to give a luxurious experience with private baths, saunas and spacious lounges" said a CR official adding that Pod hotel will be operated by M/s Namah Enterprises who will pay railway Rs. 10,07,786/- as a license fee for five years.
This Pod hotel is located beside the mainline women's waiting room at CSMT. Earlier in November 2021, the first Pod hotel in the city railway stations was opened at Mumbai Central Station of the WR by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
