Capsule inspired hotel

The New York based architect David Rockwell has recently completed work on the U.S. flagship Yotel, in Manhattan’s vibrant theater district on 42nd Street and 10th Avenue.  Yotel is, inspired by Japanese capsule hotels and the luxury airline experience and provides 669 convenient, highly efficient, affordable “first class” hotel rooms.
Rockwell Group has collaborated with the UK-based design firm Softroom, to transfer the efficiency, flexibility and forward-thinking technology of their London and Amsterdam airport properties into an innovative, hip, affordable, urban hotel.
To transform the exterior of the building into a beacon for the hotel, Rockwell Group added dimensional pre-cast concrete surfacing lit with LEDs to the façade, based on the Yotel lozenge logo. To define an elegant, modern entrance to the hotel, the portal is made of backlit laminated frosted glass.
To introduce guests to the Yotel experience, the lobby is streamlined and futuristic with a warm bamboo canopy covering the robotic baggage drop-off and electronic check-in kiosks. The luggage robot is the central feature of the space, a theatrically lit machine whose inner-workings are exposed to create a mechanical performance for the guests as it loads and stores their belongings.
One of the most coveted features of Yotel 42nd Street is the 20,000 square foot outdoor terrace lounge, the largest in Manhattan. This space is landscaped with bamboo trees, and also boasts private covered cabanas and a separate V.I.P. area.
The 640 bright, modern guest rooms provide the same maximum efficiency and cutting edge technology of the rest of the hotel but a small scale, with a bed that transforms into a lounging position at the touch of a button, a Techno Wall that houses a flat screen television, and a sleek bathroom wrapped in glass. The fifteen premium suites have private outdoor terraces and Jacuzzis.
www.rockwellgroup.com