A lodging concept that began in Japan could be making its way to St. Augustine by way of capsule hotel CosmoNest Camp, a new venture by a local entrepreneur.
St. Johns County began reviewing plans for the project July 23.
Capsule hotels, also known as pod hotels, offer small enclosed sleeping spaces designed for short stays. The pods are compact and minimalist, providing just enough room for a bed and basic amenities.
Some of the establishments have a front desk for check-in, but as is the case for CosmoNest Camp, capsule hotels without on-site staff will send instructions via email or an app on how to access a pod with a passcode.
The project is proposed at 782 Carter Road, about 3.5 miles west of downtown St. Augustine and 3 miles east of Interstate 95. The uncleared 8-acre property is owned by Oleh Kachonov through New Green Technologies LLC of St. Augustine. It was purchased in 2022 for $665,000.
CosmoNest Camp plans say 75% of the property will not be developed. It is an area zoned Open Rural, a classification that discourages large-scale residential, commercial, or industrial developments. Only a few a single-family detached homes and one neighborhood are nearby.
A civil engineer is not listed for the project.
Conceptual plans show 12 freestanding “micro-houses,” each 408 square feet that can sleep up to four people. According to the application, they will be designed with sustainable materials and a minimal environmental footprint.
Project representative Alexis Farwati said the accommodations would include kitchenettes. The nightly rate is not set, but he said it could range from $250 to $350.
There are also 10 spots with utility connections for RVs at the site, 30 parking spaces, an outdoor area with a gazebo and an existing natural pond.
Farwati said Kachonov was inspired to create CosmoNest Camp after seeing a capsule hotel in Spain’s Canary Islands.
Coupled with St. Johns County’s growing tourism market, Farwati said Kachonov thought the timing was right to bring the concept to the county.
Visitors now spend about $2.4 billion annually in the county, more than triple the $712 million recorded just over a decade ago, according to a 2022 study by Downs & St. Germain Research.
“With St. Johns County and St. Augustine booming, he thinks there needs to be more hotel rooms,” Farwati said.
Farwati acknowledged the pod concept, while popular in Europe and Asia, may be a tougher sell in the U.S.
“Europeans like things small. Americans like things big,” he said.
The world’s first capsule hotel opened in 1979 as the Capsule Inn Osaka in Japan’s Umeda district, designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa, according to www.uniqhotels.com.
The concept spread to other cities in Japan. Today, it is found in countries including Belgium, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, according to booking.com.
In the U.S., capsule hotels can be found in cities including Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
They are also in some larger airports.
Market research firm Grand View Research reports the North America capsule hotel market generated $27.3 million in revenue in 2024.
The St. Johns County Development Review Committee is scheduled to discuss CosmoNest Camp on Aug. 13.