Airport hotels are usually very convenient. You land, collect your luggage and wheel it to a hotel that is connected to the airport. After a tiring long haul flight you do not want to worry about taking a train or a taxi to the city and checking into a hotel that is at least a 30 minutes ride away. But there is one airport hotel that guests love to hate.
They love it for the experience. They hate it because it is not a comfortable experience. But was it fun? Yes! Would they do it again? Emphatically “No!” But would they recommend it to friends? Yes! Confusing?
The Jumbo Stay Hostel is not exactly a hotel, it is a plane! It is a 1976 Boeing Jumbo jet 747-200 parked at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport. It has been converted into a hostel with a few private rooms with an ensuite toilet and shower but most of the rooms are dorm styled, including two with bunk beds, all with shared toilet facilities. It has 27 rooms and 76 beds.
The dorm rooms cost Euro 54 per night while the special cockpit room costs a whopping Euro 274. The uniqueness of the concept is something which attracts guests to it. But after the novelty wears off you realize that after you have just spent eight hours on a flight struggling to sleep, you do not want to continue the experience with sleeping in a room that is challenged for space. With Emirates Airlines starting direct flights from Dubai to Stockholm from September 4, perhaps some Middle East travelers will try out the Jumbo Stay Hostel – www.jumbostay.com
