Vienna adds more capsule hotels as demand grows
Monday 31st August 2026 on 19:30 in
Austria
Vienna now has six capsule hotels, with more planned as demand grows, according to ORF. The compact accommodation is aimed mainly at younger guests, business travellers and digital nomads.
Grandpods in Floridsdorf offers around 50 rooms on Floridsdorfer Hauptstraße. The rooms resemble bunk beds, with lockable entrances and window hatches. A single room costs 45 euros, while a standard double room starts at 54 euros.
“We have a fresh-air supply in the capsules and special wall cooling, so all the capsules are air-conditioned,” said Hannes Bohinc, managing director of Grandpods in Floridsdorf.
Guests include people travelling for work and working mainly on computers. “I always choose this concept because I think it is modern and ideal for digital nomads,” hotel guest Vera Kondratenko said.
Another guest, Cornelia Fuchs, said the rooms provided everything she needed. “It is not extremely small. That depends on your expectations,” she said.
Capsule hotels are effectively dormitories because the rooms do not meet Vienna’s minimum size requirements for hotel rooms. The concept originated in Japan, where the first capsule hotel opened more than 40 years ago, primarily as a place for commuters to sleep.
In Europe, capsule hotels are particularly common at airports, where they allow travellers to sleep during stopovers. In Vienna, Space Home Apartments near the Votiv Church offers a space-themed atmosphere, while Robin Wood in the fourth district uses extensive wood in its design. Other providers operate in Neubau and Brigittenau.
Unlike youth hostels with shared rooms, capsule hotels offer guests at least a minimum level of privacy.
The model also reduces operating costs for providers. “You need significantly fewer employees: a manager, a technician, one or two people for cleaning, and the built-up area is also much smaller,” said Martin Stanits of the Austrian Hotel Association.
Approval procedures are currently under way for another capsule hotel in the well-connected Nordbahnviertel district.