IRCTC UrbanPOD capsule stay, Mumbai central

I stayed for a night at IRCTC's UrbanPOD capsule hotel in Mumbai Central station. This post shares my experience. Urbanpod has regular PODs and private PODs. I stayed in cheapest one. Regular PODs are shared accommodation option where one capsule like space belongs to you which is just adequate to sleep. You will have access to common toilets and living area.

Answering some popular questions first:

Q1: What exactly we get at UrbanPOD compared to other hotels?

You get a small private space to sleep in- about 2 meters wide, 1.5 meters tall, just enough for an adult to squeeze in and out. Space is extremely constrained and this is why PODs or capsules are cheaper than hotel rooms.

The POD has been made tech savvy- you will get following features/facilities

1.  Circular light around the mirror, intensity of which can be varied
2. A main light, intensity of which can be varied
3. Two overhead reading lights
4. A TV with headphone. Headphone wiring should be bit longer- it was just tight when I was trying to lie down and watch TV
5. A mini locker inside the POD (couldn't figure out how to use it)
6. A large locker outside the POD, to keep your bigger bags
7. A hook for jackets
8. Power outlet and USB charging ports
9. A display unit that shows time, temperature (couldn't figure out how to adjust temp) etc
10. Provision to set an alarm
    
11. A bed, pillow and a thin sheet which felt like towel (I used my own)
12. A scrolling door that can be closed, wasn't possible to 'lock' it though
    

If you are worried about space UrbanPOD in Mumbai central has a common living room with chairs, tables etc, which is spacious enough. If you are not sleeping you can sit here and work or read or relax. Just that it is not a private space, all customers are free to use this.

Toilets, bathrooms are common, nice and hygienic, located one floor below. No soap is given, you have to take your own or use shower gel kept in bathroom. Dental kit is available for purchase at the reception.

What is unique: A multi-function central console with mirror, light and other controls are provided in each POD- this makes Urban POD unique compared to say Saki Naka's Qubestay capsule hotel I had stayed earlier. This kind of setup was available in Capsule hotels in Japan when I had visited in 2016.

A large common area is a good thing- we can sit and relax, stretch our legs, do our work and go into capsule for sleeping.

Q2: Can we sit inside a POD?

Not possible to add any chairs inside capsules. The space is just enough to sleep, move your hands around. It is possible to sit on the bed with your head almost touching the roof, depending on how tall you are.

Q3: What about safety of luggage?

You will get access to a locker where you need to keep your stuff. Locker was large enough to put standard size check in bags. There was a small locker inside the POD as well, I couldn't figure out how to operate it.

The UrbanPOD setup is inside central railway station which has good security, there is a 24x7 reception and access controlled doors to enter POD area, so chances of thieves entering your POD area and stealing stuff are very very low. Still exercise generic precautions.

Q4: How much does it cost to stay at Urban POD Mumbai central?

The rate card is as below. I paid about 1500 for 24 hours for a POD. You can book 6 or 12 hours and pay less. Main reason I selected Urban POD, even when 1500 is good enough to get a budget room in a lodge, was that I could check in at 6 AM. Regular hotels ask you to check in at 1 PM etc- what to do till that time?

Urban POD is certainly not the cheapest place to stay in Mumbai- I had seen a guest house in Ghatkopar where I got a bed for 300 INR for whole day. But of course, UrbanPOD is a great experience- good combination of comfort, safety and reasonable pricing.

Urban POD Rate card

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— Shrinidhi Hande (@enidhi) January 22, 2024

Q5: Do we get food?

NO. You've to out and eat. Railway station has few stops selling basic stuff, there are restaurants on the street outside. No RO treated drinking water either. You will have to buy IRCTC Rail Neer bottle from reception for 15 INR

There is an Udupi restaurant outside Mumbai central, which was good. Within central station you will get few basic stuff like tea, biscuits etc.

Food is NOT allowed inside the capsules. Even shoes need to be kept in a locker near reception.

UrbanPOD (Mumbai central) vs QubeStay (Saki Naka)

Urban POD is NOT the only capsule hotel in Mumbai. Quebstay in Sakinaka has been around for years. Overall experience was good- but their 6 hour rental is almost same as QubeStay's full day rental. For 1500 INR we can spend 24 hours in Urban POD, we can book QubeStay for 2 nights (1700 approx), so though Qube stay doesn't offer 6-12 hour booking, we can get longer booking for same price

QubeStay is closer to airport. Mumbai central is 21 kms away. Had to pay 700 INR to Kaali Peeli taxi at 3 AM to drop me at airport. Local trains start only by 4.30 AM

#	Feature	UrbanPOD	QubeStay
1	Booking window	6, 12, 24 hours, PNR needed	24 hours only
2	Breakfast	NOT included	Included
3	Location	Mumbai central	Saki Naka (closer to airport)
4	Facilities	AC, TV, locker	AC, No TV, No locker
5	Pricing	1500 for 24 hours	850 for 24 hours (10 bed dorm) 1200 for 24 hours (6 bed dorm)
6	Common area	Very spacious  Great bathrooms	Minimum space, open terrace available, basic bathrooms
7	Advantages	-Different check-in timings -More high-tech -Very secure (inside railway station) -More spacious and better common areas & facilities	-Closer to airport -Breakfast included -Cheaper -Anyone can book

Let me know what you think

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