“Where did you stay on your trip?”
“Oh, I slept in a drain pipe. It was a tight squeeze, but it was pretty comfortable.”
It sounds like something you would say as a joke—perhaps because you were traveling without a lot of funds and couldn’t afford a hotel room.
But actually, these days there are a few real hotels around the world where you can stay inside drain pipes.
Das Parkhotel is located in Bottrop, Germany. Each room in the hotel is located inside a short section of repurposed drain pipe.
This is something of a trend around the world right now, an outgrowth of the concept of the “capsule hotel” originally popularized in Japan.
Each pipe section has a door added to the front which you can open to let in the fresh air or close to ensure privacy and security. There is also a small overhead window for extra light and ventilation.
Artwork on the back wall adds some color and softness to the industrial ambiance. The bed consists of a slatted ergonomic frame by Optimo with a double wide Eurofoam mattress.
To one side there is a small lamp so you can get cozy and read a book if you want, check your travel plans, or so on. There is also some storage next to the bed where you will find extra pillows, sheets and blankets. There is also enough storage space for your items as well.
Additionally, there is a 220V outlet in every pipe. That means that you can charge up your devices.
How much does it cost to stay in one of these cool concrete pipes? Here is a (translated) quote from the website:
We see “pay as you wish” as a system where customers leave a Euro amount that they can afford and with which they wish to support our project.
So it sounds like there is actually no formal pricing at all—you just pay as much as you can manage for a night in a super cool tiny hotel room.
If you want to make a reservation or just discover more about Das Parkhotel, visit the official website here.
