It started in Switzerland in 2018 as an add-on to an idea. It grew to a multi-location business, focussed on a unique and extraordinary guest experience: Swiss CapsulesTM, an accommodation concept designed by Capsule Services.

But it didn’t come easy.

Capsule Services’ mission is to make it possible for everyone to explore the world, but the first sleep capsules broke down within months of accommodating guests. This forced the company to re-develop their concept, improving the overall quality, comfort and durability. Now, Capsule Services sets the standard in the industry, each month convincing thousands of travellers to sleep in their Swiss CapsulesTM.

Rewind to 2018, when some friends sat down and came up with an idea to start a co-working space. They also thought the co-working space should include overnight accommodation in the same building, and so the idea of sleeping “cocoons” or “pods” seemed like a match. In 2020 they opened the first capsule hotel, TheLAB in Lucerne. After Lucerne, they added capsules in an existing hotel in Basel. In 2022, they opened a new location, Alpine Garden at Zürich airport, which is the biggest capsule hotel in Europe. The hotel and sleep capsule concept has proved successful.

Sleep capsules might sound like just another word for “pods,” “cocoon” or maybe even space-age bunk beds, however, Swiss CapsulesTM allow accommodation businesses to make improvements in the guest experience that also result in other gains for the property.

“We find ourselves between hotels and hostels. Our focus, with our hotel concepts and capsules, is to cater to the needs of solo travellers,” explained Adrie Vreeke, CEO of Capsule Services. “The quality is close to that of hotels, while the energy consumption and possibilities to structure space is similar to a hybrid hostel.”

In other words, the concept brings together comfort, safety, affordability and community.

“If a hostel is thinking about making some changes to a property, sleep capsules are a good option to consider,” said Adrie. “For hostels, we’ve found that flipping 30% of dorm beds to capsules works well. This has proven successful because it leaves you with a mix of options for cost-conscious travellers. With a higher ADR and occupancy of our capsules, we’ve been able to realise a ROI at around 12 months on a product that comes with a 10-year warranty.”

Capsule Services has plans to open three new locations in Swiss city centres over the coming two years and then expand to other European cities. They hope to inspire others in the industry and are happy to help, find synergies and contribute to excellence in the future of the hospitality industry.

If you’d to see a capsule in your own room, check out Capsules Services virtual tool:

1. Click here
2. Scroll down to the “view in your space” button at the right side.
3. Scan the QR code – you’ll then get an idea of a Swiss Capsule TM in your very own space!

Author Adrie Vreeke CEO Capsule Services