Japan’s cheapskate hotel chain Toyoko Inn is all set to invade the US with a pod-like budget hotel in New York City. The Toyoko Inn tower in New York will open in 2012, followed by more Toyoko Inn hotels in Chicago and Atlanta.

Toyoko Inn

Toyoko’s 35-story, 640-room New York hotel is located in Long Island City, in western Queens.

The Toyoko Inn will be a bare-bones budget hotel, offering a small 200 feet room at a rate of just over $100 per night. There will be no swimming pool or any of the other amenities that are usually found even in budget hotels.

The only things guests can expect are a bed, bathroom, desk and a TV. They do, however, offer free internet inside rooms and wireless internet in the lobby, and a complimentary breakfast.

Inspite of being in Queens, the location is convinient since the hotel is a few steps from a subway station, so visitors can make it from the hotel to midtown Manhattan very quickly. 

The New York Toyoko Inn will be followed by the Chicago Toyoko Inn – a 500-room hotel on Clinton Street. The one in Atlanta, on Forsyth Street, will be a 700-room hotel.

Note: Toyoko Inn almost exclusively hires only women. As of earlier this year, they had nearly 7000 employees, and 95% of their workforce is female. Their management is almost entirely composed of married women. Apparently, this is an attempt to cater to women on the road, who are traveling alone.

Toyoko Inn Co. is based in Tokyo, Japan and has over 235 budget hotels all over Japan. Outside of Japan, they have a couple of hotels in South Korea, and one in China. In addition to their first US hotel in New York, and then Chicago and Atlanta, Toyoko likely has plans to expand further.

The design for every Toyoko Inn is nearly the same, housed in tall brown matchbox-type towers located near mass-transit hubs, with as many tiny rooms as possible packed into the building. The Toyoko Inn in Queens is being designed by New York-based architect Gene Kaufman.

Photo – Kure

Related posts:-
669-Room Yotel Overshoots Airport, Ends up in Times Square
Sleep Units at San Francisco International Airport

As usual, I threw myself on the mercy of the other passengers during my bus trip to Tequisquiapan. This tiny Mexican town was another of Mexico’s Pueblo Magicos – Magic Towns – reputed to have a lovely church and central square, but I’d never been in this part of Mexico before and wasn’t sure where to get off the bus. With their help, I not only got off in the right place, they told me which street to take to get to the center of town. With my directions in hand, I walked toward the central square and dealt with the next problem: finding a place to stay. I wandered down the long narrow street looking for a hostel but none was in sight so I stopped to ask the advice of a kindly looking man leaning against the entryway of a small neighborhood grocery store. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’d just struck gold. He directed me one block over to Posada de Tequisquiapan, explaining that it was the most economic place in town and it had lovely grounds.

Posada Tequisquiapan

“Lovely grounds” was an understatement. Behind its simple streetfront facade, Posada de Tequisquiapan secreted lush gardens that cascaded down a hill and surrounded a swimming pool carved into the hillside. Pathways curved through expanses of thick grass, leading to tables and benches tucked into pockets of jungle vegetation. As I strolled through the tranquil gardens, the only sounds were from birds twittering and lizards cheeping. Read More »

I was so enchanted with Guanajuato, Mexico, that it hardly mattered where I stayed, as long as the accommodations were affordable and located near the city center. I wanted to wander for hours around Guanajuato’s elegant gardens and charming squares, making my way from one performance to another between stops at outdoor cafes and coffee shops, and still be able to walk back to my room after dark. La Casa del Tio Hostel fit the bill perfectly.

Casa del Tio Hostel, Guanajuato, Mexico

Located in the heart of the historic center, La Casa del Tio offered two private rooms with ensuite bathrooms, as well as four dorms with shared bathrooms. Male, female, and mixed dorms were furnished with comfortable bunk beds, while a family dorm had a combination of a “matrimonial” bed and bunks, and all dorms were equipped with metal lockers for safeguarding personal belongings. The dorms surrounded separate men’s and women’s bathrooms and a common kitchen with TV, although sitting on Read More »

Accor Hotels is offering a limited time promo under which nearly 2000 hotels in Europe are offering discounts of upto 50% off.

Accor 'Crazy Prices' promo

The Accor offer called ‘Crazy Prices’ is available on the Accorhotels.com website from March 13-22, 2010. Discounts of up to 50% are available for stays in between March 22 to May 2.

The offer applies to the following Accor hotel brands – Pullman, Gallery, Mercure, Novotel, Suitehotel, Adagio, ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, hotelF1 and Lucien Barrière hotels.

Pullman and Gallery are upscale brands with each hotel having its own unique personality and identity.

Novotel and Suitehotel are midscale hotels which offer the same standard facilities all over Europe. 

Adagio is a midscale extended stay hotel chain, while ibis offers economy and the same standard experience at all properties. All Seasons hotels offer economy and differing boutique styles.

Etap and hotelF1 are both budget options with the same standard experience.

Lucien Barrière offers a small group of luxury hotels and casinos.

Start your search for a hotel offering the Crazy Prices promo in your destination here. Popular destinations where many hotels are participating in the promo include London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Rome, and Madrid. Here’s the full list of participating hotels.

Related posts:-
Stay for Free at Choice Hotels
£19 Travelodge UK rooms for stays 12 March – 31 May 2010