Capsule Hotels

Single sleepers only. Every capsule at this Lucerne hotel is built for one person, and that clarity runs through the whole place. It is the only capsule hotel inside the city's Old Town, a short walk from the Chapel Bridge and the Lion Monument.

Each pod has dimmable lighting, ventilation, a power outlet and hooks for the day's things. Bathrooms are shared, linen and towels are provided, and some capsules are set up for guests with reduced mobility, including one that is wheelchair-accessible.

The appeal is plain. Lucerne is a compact, walkable city with a lake at its feet, and staying in the old centre usually costs a good deal more than this.

Early flight? This is the obvious answer. The Alpine Garden capsule hotel sits in the Prime Center at Zurich Airport, directly across from Check-in 1, so the walk from pod to security takes minutes.

There are well over a hundred capsules. The interior theme is the Alpine landscape, drawn from the work of Swiss nature photographer Fabio Zingg, which softens what could otherwise feel like a transit box. Two sleeping rooms are reserved for women.

Beyond the pods there is a small spa with hot tubs, a coffee lounge, a bar, a co-working corner and a shop of Swiss goods. Hosts are on hand around the clock.

Not a capsule in the strict sense. Cabinn Metro gives each guest a compact private room with its own shower, but the planning logic is the same: a ferry cabin brought ashore, every fitting placed where it saves a step.

Cabinn was Denmark's first budget hotel chain, and the Metro property in Ørestad is one of its largest. The district is new and orderly, with Field's shopping centre next door and the metro taking you to the airport or the city centre in a few minutes each way.

Rooms are small and spotless rather than charming. That is the point. A gym and meeting rooms round things out for travellers who need a base, not a destination.