Minute Suites Debut At DFW Airport
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - There aren't many good places to grab some sleep, or just relax, in the bustle of a noisy airport.
Weary travelers are often stuck leaning against luggage on the floor or sitting with arms folded across their chest with their head down trying to catch some sleep. It can be frustrating and uncomfortable, especially for the traveler who has a long layover.
That's where the new Minute Suites concept that recently opened at DFW Airport comes in.
Daniel Solomon, the company's co-founder, recently led a tour of the new facility in Terminal D. There's a concierge desk and hosts to greet visitors as they come in. Then, paying guests are assigned very special, miniature hotel rooms.
"We've got noise, there's a lot of people, a harp is playing," Solomon said of the noise outside one of the rooms as he slowly closed the door. "Watch what happens when we shut the door."
With a click of the door handle, all of the outside noise vanishes and replaced with the whisper-soft sound of a noise suppression system. All sense of being in an airport is gone.
"Everything you need, physiologically to have a comfortable sleep or nap, we've designed around it," Solomon said.
The visitor controls the amount of noise suppression, the lights and the temperature. There's also a computer for work and entertainment. Or, if you just need a shower, you can rent that too.
"Even if I didn't need to sleep its a great place to stop and work," said Marc Emmons who had stopped for a nap during a business trip en route to Seattle. "It'd be excellent for that."
"People can nap, relax or work," Solomon said. "And that's what they do. About 50-percent nap, about 30-percent relax and about 20-percent work, roughly."
The Yu family, mom, dad, eight year-old daughter and an infant, has a six-hour layover on their way to Taiwan and Japan. Here, they can pass the time quietly before their 14-hour flight.
"We were kind of surprised," Jimmy Yu, the father, said. "This type of service is usually not available in the states. So, I was very happy to find that here."
Yu said there are sleeping accommodations for rent in some Japanese airports, but they are just a bed in a cubbyhole with no other accommodations.
DFW Airport is home to just the third minute suite in the world. The company expects to build another one at d-f-w soon.
And for weary travelers, it's a welcome shelter in their noisy travels.
The rates for the "Minute Suites" are: 1 hour room rental: $34, $8.50 for every 15 mins after. $125 overnight (11pm-7am). 30-minute shower is $25, but only $15 with room rental
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