THE PLEASURE OF PUTTING UP IN A POD

Taking a cue from capsule or pod hotels of Japan and China, India too has got its first brand, Urbanpod, which has started offering pods to travellers in the country.
The hospitality industry is aware that the present generation will not settle for anything unless the design is inclusive.
And Urbanpod has taken everything into consideration. Designed by Formwerkz, a Singapore-based architecture firm, the pods are self-contained units with technologically superior interiors.

THE DELIGHTS
The trio realised early on that new-age travellers are looking at practical stay options at modest price. Urbanpod offers precisely all of this. He adds, “Urbanpod has seen a mix of travellers from both India and abroad and we have served more than 10,000 guests in the last 16 months.”
Urbanpod is strategically located in the heart of Mumbai. It offers 140 pods with various upgrades - suite pods, private pods, classic pods and exclusive ‘ladies only’ pods. “Each pod comes with a cosy bed, personal locker with secure key card access, plasma TV, personal reading light, power socket, hangers, a dresser, free wi-fi, adjustable air-conditioning
facility, air-purifier and a sliding door with locking facility for added privacy. Each pod also has a smoke detector and a fire extinguisher as a safety measure,” Gandhi informs.

CHALLENGES AND THE WAY AHEAD
The company had to face a few teething problems and glitches in the initial phase. “The challenge we faced initiallyincluded addressing the mindset of the end-user. Urbanpod has been conferred the ‘Best Boutique Hotel of the Year’ from ET Now,” Gandhi says. Moving forward, Urbanpod is aiming to expand in Tier I and II areas in India. “We plan to expand our footprint to other Indian cities through the franchise route and increase our present capacity of 140 to 800 pods in the next two years. Also, there is a minimum return on investment guaranteed,” Gandhi concludes.

Comment