Aimed at creative travellers, these pop-up hotels are usually housed in unique spaces around the globe like warehouses, shipping containers and places that offer a fleeting glimpse of what it’s like to fall asleep in public parks and harbours.
According to Design Hotel Founder, Claus Sendlinger, pop-up hotels are “designed as shifting hubs, they provide an open platform for creatives to gather and shape meaningful moments.”
More often than not these experiential lodgings are born from a collaborative partnership between artists and designers, with the odd cutting-edge hotel chain thrown in for good financial measure. They are typically conceptualised to leave a light environmental footprint, which makes for interesting eco-chic spaces; plus they’re easy on the wallet too.
“This concept [also] seems to make sense from a business perspective,” says Reena Jana of Smartplanet.com. “Hotel developers can try out locales, experiment with design ideas, and test out the market for guests without a huge financial commitment. Some hospitality companies are even making new business bets on the pop-up approach.”
So just how long do pop-up hotels last, you ask? Many only stick around for a few days in a single location; others for a few months, but some are so popular they’re still lingering today. One thing’s for sure though, the pop-up hotel phenomenon is only getting started and we can expect to see the boundaries being pushed even further in the future. Here are four examples of cool little transient hotels from around the world. Check in before they checkout.
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The Papaya Playa Project, Tulum, Mexico
With its cabanas and slightly more luxurious casitas practically floating on the crystal clear Caribbean ocean, Papaya Playa Project opened in December 2011 to much hoo-haa from the global hotel community. It was, after all, the first real designer pop-up of its kind and forged the model for others to follow. The eclectic jungle-chic hotel is set up more like a gypsy commune, with many of its main amenities (restaurant, ashram, bathrooms, beach club) centrally located on the beach or jungle and exposed to the elements. Centrally run on solar power only, the hotel has no electrical sockets in the rooms so leave your iPhone behind. It attracts everyone from backpackers (sparse palapa huts start at just $45 USD per night) to high-profile creatives wanting to kick-back and switch off in a designer beachfront bungalow. Papaya was supposed to close in May 2012, but the trendy, no-frills property backed by German boutique hotel brand Design Hotels proved so popular it’s still sitting proudly along the Yucatan Peninsular today, three years later.
Source: papayaplayaproject.com
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Sleeping Around, Last location: Antwerp, Summer 2014
Fancy sleeping in a shipping container on top of an office building? If you happened to be in Antwerp last Summer you could have done just that. This little project called “Sleeping Around” consists of a bunch of ex-shipping containers up-cycled from China and converted into luxury cubbyholes with all the mod-cons: a box-spring bed, rain shower, iPod docking station and air conditioning. They’re 100% green and only use ecologically sound materials. The shipping container village was set-up in interesting locations like galleries and design fairs around Antwerp and guests were able to stay overnight and experience utilitarianism in all its glory. Word on the street is the shipping containers are set to pop-up in the Greek Islands this Summer. Keep a lookouthere.
Source: sleepingaround.eu
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San Giorgio Mykonos, Mykonos, Greece
With the success of Papaya Playa Project under their belt, Design Hotels brought their specific brand of beachy pop-up chic to the lively shores of Mykonos, only this time the result was decidedly less rustic and a whole lot more bohemian. Creators Thomas Heyne and Mario Hertel approached Design Hotels to design the glamorously understated hotel which offers a blissed-out alternative to the craziness of the Mykonos party scene. Design Hotels must have mastered the pop-up model because the hotel is now a permanent fixture on the Mykonos accommodation circuit after planning to initially run for only four months after opening in May 2012. The morocco-inspired interiors cleverly mix vibrant and colourful throws, rugs and ottomans with muted wooden driftwood furniture and whitewashed walls. The rooms have free WiFi but no TV (who needs television anyway) and the hotel adopts ___ to treat the earth kindly. Depending on the season, rooms run from $158- $955 USD per night.
Source: sangiorgio-mykonos.com/
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Happy Glamper, Mornington Peninsula
Still want to enjoy the Great Outdoors but don’t like the idea of digging a hole for your business? That’s why God created glamping – the authentic camping experience plus all your first world camping essentials. You don’t even have to set it up, saving you from sweating and passive aggressive arguments with your fellow glampees. Happy Glamper will tow their vintage Airstream, or pitch a super fancy tent replete with books, mats, cushions, boardgames, chairs and more for you wherever you like.
Source: happyglamper.com.au
—Stefanie Acworth runs the blog A Modern Wayfarer.