Sleeping in a box

There is a big event coming up, and you are looking for accommodation close by. Not easy. Most of us have been faced with this dilemma at one time or another. You definitely don’t want to miss the event but accommodation in the area has been fully booked for months. What do you do? Have you considered sleeping in a box?

Just such a situation arose when I was planning my recent attendance of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We had just returned from the Le Mans 24-Hour race in France and I had not booked my room for Goodwood. It was a little different though as it would just be myself attending, but the accommodation issue had been overlooked what with our French adventure taking up so much of our time earlier that month. But an email to the people at Snoozebox put that the issue to bed, so to speak.

Snoozebox is a clever idea, in that it is a temporary hotel setup that is brought onto the site (or to a nearby location). Using a shipping container as a starting point, four rooms or cabins are kitted out to sleep three, which is fine, as long as you bring minimal luggage. The beds are superbly comfortable but there is very little room to move around, but as most of these cabins would usually only have one person in each, the limited space is not a problem.

Each cabin consists of a double bed with an overhead bunk running at right angles across one end of the double bed below. Clothes hanging space is limited, but sufficient, with three drawers and a pair of cubby-holes, providing additional storage. To the left as you step inside the cabin, is a wet room with shower, basin and toilet. The cabins do not have any windows, and so a very efficient fresh air circulation/air conditioning unit is installed in each room, and no feeling of ‘stuffiness’ was evident. A television is also provided and there were ample sockets for recharging camera batteries and for powering up the laptop for a spot of writing, although a power outage while watching the news was rather annoying. You might think sleeping in what is essentially a metal box, that you would hear your noisy neighbour, but this was not evident thanks to excellent soundproofing.

Meals were available at the Snoozebox Hotel for those hungry show-goers, and at this location for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, food was provided by The Hungry Guest, renowned for combining artisan foods and using locally sourced, quality supplies. After a tiring day of walking hither and thither across Lord March’s estate and ogling all the delightful automotive treats, one builds up a healthy appetite, and so The Hungry Guest was just the ticket.

Following a scrumptious meal and some suitable refreshment, it was off to bed. Despite the cabins being on the small side, the bed was great and an excellent night’s sleep was had which prepared me for another day of action the following morning. Transport from the Snoozebox Hotel down to the Goodwood Estate was laid on, and a bus ride through the back lanes and byways avoided all the hassle of traffic congestion. The buses ran regularly and ferried passengers between the hotel and Goodwood House throughout the day, until late in the night.

Snoozebox Hotels can be set up at a variety of events, from Glastonbury, Silverstone Classic, Carfest North, Isle of Man TT Races, Edinburgh Festivals, British MotoGP to Goodwood, and many other venues around the country. Room rates start at £79 at some venues. However, Snoozebox hotels can also be found on the continent for example at the F1 Belgian Grand Prix or the F1 Italian Grand Prix where a 4-night package is available for £499. These rates include breakfast and parking. But I have found that the rates vary widely from event to event, so check out their rates and availability here: http://snoozeboxhotel.co.uk/events/

If this sounds like a convenient option for you and you don’t mind sleeping in a box, do yourself a favour and give it a try, you will be surprised.

Written by: Glen Smale