El Prado Capsule Hostel, which recently opened in the city of La Paz, Bolivia, is the first hotel of its kind in that country. It contains 44 beds distributed in eight rooms, each with a futuristic design that resembles a space station or an advanced bunker.
This first pod hotel or capsule hotel in Bolivia is located in El Prado, the city center of La Paz. In addition to its capsules, this hostel includes common dining areas decorated with a minimalist style similar to the hostel.
Célica Hernández, El Prado Capsule’s manager, assured that “sleeping in a pod bed is a unique experience, it’s like being in a spaceship.”
About the pods at El Prado Capsule
Hotel management explained that each pod is made of steel and houses a television, a safe, a rounded mirror, a modern ventilation system, electrical outlets, USB ports, a fire extinguisher and reading lights that each guest can regulate. In addition, the pods have an acoustic isolation system that makes each one soundproof.
The white pods are stacked in pairs, seeking to optimize spaces that must be entered without shoes or food. In some rooms there are up to 10 of these capsules, but there are also rooms with only two, depending on how much privacy each visitor desires.
As an introductory offer, the hostel offers rates ranging between 14 and 18 dollars a night. El Prado Capsule also has “express lodging,” which is intended for people who cannot get back home at noon and wish to rest for a couple of hours.
Hernández explained that this project began a year ago using Japan’s pod hotels as inspiration, with the idea of offering comfort and modernity to travelers who arrive in La Paz, the seat of Bolivia’s Government. Although this type of lodging is already common in countries such as Spain, France and Belgium, she believes pod hotels are a relatively new concept in Latin America.
