“Rest better paying less.” Under this slogan, a hostel in Madrid is promoted that offers an option that, more than a solution, seems to be the latest consequence of the housing access crisis in Madrid, which also affects students who come to live in the capital: living by sleeping in capsules paying 395 euros per month.
Gallery Hostel, in the district of Opañel, in Carabanchelpublishes in Idealista an offer not suitable for claustrophobics. If its Japanese-style capsules are designed to spend one or a few nights, this hostel also aims to be disruptive by allowing some of them to be rented for long stays. In this sense, it focuses on students who, from September, arrive in Madrid from other cities and countries.
As you may have known Madrid TotalAll available places with this option are sold out for this course. And they have been open for less than a month. The fact that demand has covered this quota gives an idea of the difficulties that many students in the capital face in renting rooms or full accommodation.
All the more so since they are part of a young sector. According to the Observatory of Emancipation of the Spanish Youth Council (CJE), which, based on average salaries, rents and housing expenses, stated last August that young people spend 96.6% of their salary on housing.
Located at 20 Calle de La Solana, this accommodation offers students a minimum space to sleep, with the promise of savings, but under very limited conditions. The accommodation, located on the ground floor with windows overlooking the street, is an inclusive option, declared LGBT friendly. On its glass façade, several yellow hexagons seem to form a honeycomb panel. In each of these polygons, the same geometric figure they use in their logo, we can read words like “intimate”, “comfort”, “dreams” or “meet people”.
Equipped capsules
Each long-stay capsule of this type measures one and a half meters by two meters of lake, which corresponds to three square meters. They are arranged in rows in a seven-meter high nave.
As small as it is, it is equipped, as its website highlights, with the essentials: own socket, electronic lockcustomizable ventilation, a locker for belongings with a hanging bar and another with shelves, bedding for sleeping and towels (one bath towel and one hand towel per room).
Services included
Additionally, tenants have access to shared amenities such as a kitchen and laundry room. It is possible to include breakfast, which should in theory make the stay more bearable.
However, the limited space and lack of privacy are a drawback to consider, especially when compared to other accommodation options in the city with both similar and lower prices. By browsing the main rental portals, it is easy to find shared rooms in the capital. In this case, Idealista’s offer indicates that it is necessary to pay a one-month deposit.
The hostel has 26 single capsules and 14 double split capsulesnext to the hall and other rooms, including seven bathrooms, on 200 m². With this data in mind, in the hypothetical case where everything was full, 54 people would occupy a space of 200 square meters.
On the other hand, it has, at the entrance, a common area that serves as a lounge and cafeteria, which long-term tenants can use to study and tourists can use as a dining room.
Target audience
The capsules, intended for students, aim to reach an audience that only needs be in Madrid for a few days per week due to the hybrid or telematic modality of their courses.
This newspaper tried to contact the head of the company who, according to the data of the registry available on the Informa platform, is Gabriel Blanco Ramos. At the time of publication of this article, they have not issued any response or assessment.
This alternative, although innovative, serves as an example of the difficulties encountered by many students in finding accommodation in Madrid. For the moment, they have not yet collected reviews on their website, so they limit themselves to saying that they are “receiving the first tourists” and that “very soon” they will display “verified reviews”.
It has a review on Booking from a user named Gabriel, who gives it a score of 10 out of 10 and comments: “100% recommended. The space is very cozy and functional. It smells phenomenal in all rooms and the capsule was perfect, even with the amenities. Experience to share. Unbeatable value for money.”
