China prescribes nap capsules for sleepy staff
With an easy phone scan, white-collar customers can book a time-out in a sleek space pod-like unit
For China’s sleep-deprived whitecollar workers needing a place for a nap, a booming “sharing economy” offering a growing range of services 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 (Dh5.40) for half an hour during the midday rush.
The rate drops to only 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 start-up that launched the services in Beijing in May and has since opened up Shanghai and Chengdu.
Han said her capsules were different to Japan’s capsule hotels, because she was branches in targeting a different type of customer, those looking for a quick nap, not a full night of sleep.
The company plans to extend to cities such as Qingdao, Nanjing and Shenzhen by the end of July or early August, she said.
Growing economy
China’s rapidly expanding “sharing economy”, exemplified by the success of bike-sharing companies such as Mobike and Ofo, has inspired a wave of “sharing” enterprises backed by a funding frenzy powered by so-called angel investors and venture capital firms.
China’s “sharing economy” is expected to grow about 40 per cent this year to 4.83 trillion yuan. By 2020, it could account for a tenth of gross domestic product.