There are over 3,500 Marriott hotels on Earth. There could be 3.5 million and that still wouldn't be enough to satisfy the world's traveling population, and so, for your future travel pleasures, we present three small hotel chains you've probably never heard of but should totally book because they're awesome (and growing):
P.S. - they all have free WiFi!
25hours
They just rebranded with a new tagline, "come as you are," and we couldn't be more in love. 25hours have become our number one choice for a hotel when staying in the four cities where they have locations, and we've reviewed two right here on HotelChatter—Frankfurt-Goldman and Hamburg-HafenCity.
25hours isn't afraid of colors, patterns and injecting humor into interior design. They're also bold when it comes to complimentary perks; there's more than just free bike rental, as each location also offers free BMW Mini car rental (and their Hamburg HafenCity location has a vinyl record room!). They also boast some of the best (paid) breakfast spreads we've seen outside of Asian 5-star hotels. Room rates are very affordable, from 95 Euros.
Locations: All in Europe—Zurich, Vienna, two in Frankfurt and two in Hamburg. Coming soon to Berlin.
First Cabin
Hotel rooms themed for first class airplane suites. Sounds like an idea that's both brilliant and terrible, right? Well, it's more than an idea. It's a burgeoning chain of hotels we'd call "advanced capsule," because they're not as constricting as a traditional Japanese capsule hotel but also not as spacious as a regular hotel.
The rules are one person per "cabin," and in that cabin you'll find everything you need for a short stay, including pajamas and basic toiletries. Bathrooms are shared, but super clean locker room/sauna-style, and floors are sex-segregated, so no sharing your cabin (at all). As you'll be sacrificing some privacy and the focus is on short stays, nightly rates begin from $27 (which we recently paid at the First Cabin in Kyoto). Locations are primo, though, near very central transportation hubs and energetic neighborhoods.
Locations: All in Japan—Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo-Haneda Airport. Coming soon to Tokyo's Akihabara district.
Grandmas Hotels
NOT the most appealing chain name, we know, but let their locations and prices speak for themselves. For example, there's a brand new Grandmas Hotel right behind the all-suite Anantara on Seminyak Beach, and nightly rates begin at $35.
It's not a hostel, but a budget chain thus far only really known to Indonesians, but fast growing around the island of Bali.
Locations: All on the island of Bali near the famous beaches. These are Seminyak, Kuta, and Legian. Coming soon to Tuban.
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