Real estate developers tend to think big, but the people behind a Whistler, B.C. hotel want to think small.
The Pangea Pod hotel is slated to open in April and will feature 88 wood-lined private sleeping pods that come with modern touches such as LED lights and USB charging stations.
“We want to play in that wide open space between what a hostel outside of town charges and what a hotel inside of town charges,” Pangea Pods founder Russell Kling said.
The hotel will also feature a common area that offers a panoramic view of Whistler Village and an outdoor rooftop patio.
Kling said the new pod hotel could appeal to a new breed of travellers.
“These guys don’t come to Whistler today, these 38-year-old young professionals because there isn’t a product for them,” Kling said. “Maybe a few of them come but for three days instead of 10 because they can’t afford it.”
The building that will house the Pangea Pod Hotel used to be a timeshare complex that fell into serious disrepair. It took the developer a year-and-a-half to track down each of the 1,200 timeshare investors and buy them out. All told, the project is expected to cost around $10 million.
Kling said the pod hotel will be an upscale version of capsule hotels that have long been a staple in Japan and other destinations.
“Really, you are supposed to feel like you’re on a luxury yacht and this is your little berth,” Kling said.
— With files from Ted Chernecki