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Comment by torben-friis | Hacker News Reader

This is dystopian:

> Workers who moved out of London for remote work are under pressure to come back to the office in the city, and some are choosing to stay in Japanese-inspired sleeping pods for just £30 ($40).

People that could be living in human friendly spaces are being pushed to live in a tube for no significant reason other than the whims of the wealthy.

Even setting aside stuff like fire hazards or claustrophobia, notably absent from this is the ability to lead a social life inside: no place to bring a partner or a group of friends.

Your time will be spent at work or recharging for the next work day.

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It sounds great to me. I travel regularly for work, and when doing so I work and sleep with no social life. I get as much work done as possible and then I go back to my house and family. I don’t need a big room or anything really, because I’m just there for work. They obviously don’t fit every use case.

I definitely shouldn’t have to pay more for a hotel because other people are claustrophobic. And the fire thing is a red herring, in a modern city there are fire codes and inspections - presumably this is very regulated. You’re almost certainly less safe staying in an unregulated air bnb, people have died in airbnb fires.

See https://montrealgazette.com/news/owner-of-old-montreal-build... for example

>It sounds great to me. I travel regularly for work, and when doing so I work and sleep with no social life. I get as much work done as possible and then I go back to my house and family. I don’t need a big room or anything really, because I’m just there for work. They obviously don’t fit every use case.

Have you read the article? it doesn't focus on travellers, it focuses on workers returning to the city after work from home is disallowed.

It's ok to have budget accomodations for travellers, and I can see capsules being more private than a hostel, but this article could be easily reframed as 'people working in london can't afford basic living space in the city, yet businesses are forcing them into the city'. This is not something to glorify in a lifestyle column.

Can't believe this is the only comment with this sentiment. I find the entire thing horrific.

The fact that so many here say "sounds perfect, I just want somewhere to sleep" is even more worrying.

You misread the story: it's not a house, just a cheaper hotel room.

Yes, but if something is allowed and provides some advantage (lower cost, etc.) and there's competition it's going to be mandatory for somebody.

Still, I don’t think you can have a normal human experience devoting a significant portion of your life to work and a coffin.

It seems like any low paying job that lets them get back home every evening would be better than this.

>You misread the story

Did I?

>Workers who moved out of London for remote work are under pressure to come back to the office in the city, and some are choosing to stay in Japanese-inspired sleeping pods

>in 2025, there’s been a sharp recall in remote work offerings with major companies enforcing return to office mandates in London from HSBC to JPMorgan, Amazon, Salesforce and John Lewis. A typically dormitory with roughly a dozen capsules inside Zedwell Capsule Hotel. A typically dormitory with roughly a dozen capsules inside Zedwell Capsule Hotel. Sawdah Bhaimiya

>Zedwell’s Aziz said one of the hotel’s core demographics is young professionals and hybrid workers who are using Zedwell as a “base in the city” due to their flexible working patterns which require them to be in the office for a few days a week.

This is not travelling, it's moving workers half the week to the tube.

If you have to do this 4-5 days a week, sure, but what if you only have a couple of days of meetings? Seems ideal just as a cheap and safe place to crash privately for a night.

You will own nothing, and you'll be pretty miserable as well

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