National_Geographic_Traveller_India_May_2017

■ MAHARASHTRA
and entering through the double glass doors does
the sense of being in a hotel kick in. And one floor
of a building is all that it occupies. The pods are
located in clusters of 12 to 18, most of them in a
large room with one main door and some along
the hallway. Travellers flitting in and out of the
city for work would probably find a comfortable
space here.
At around 7 p.m., I am asked to give my
preference for dinner. The café outside serves
packed meals that come from a kitchen located
a few kilometres away. Simple Indian, Asian,
and European meals with vegetarian and nonvegetarian
options make up the menu. I am
informed that my dinner will arrive in the next
hour and a half or so and I decide to make my way
to the shower. The bathrooms, separated from the
pods, are located in one section at the end of a long
corridor. Since I am put in a ladies special pod—
one in a cluster of 18—my bathroom is within the
same room as my pod.
While I have a lot of privacy, because the
ladies pod is relatively empty, a shared space
like the Urbanpod may not be the best fit for
every traveller. However, if you are a backpacker
and would return to your room only to find some
peace and shut-eye, then the pod may be a good
idea. It also helps that this little cocoon looks
snazzy. Mulling over my next backpacking trip,
I head out to the café for dinner. My Asian meal
of rice and chicken comes in a take-away box,
along with cutlery in a transparent pouch. If I
was airborne, this would feel like a lavish meal
on a flight.
As I crawl into my pod at the end of the day, I
think about whether I’d like to return to Urbanpod.
I live in Mumbai and often feel like getting away
from the din. Most times there is an urge to be
closer to nature and get a room with a view that
soothes the eyes, but once in a while I wouldn’t
mind being left on my own.
However, this might not be an experience
suitable for everyone. If you are expecting
24-hour room service, or are over about 6’3”, then
you might want to reconsider staying here. One
of my main concerns when checking into
Urbanpod was claustrophobia but I didn’t need
to worry as I have almost a foot of headspace
and a lot more leg-space inside. In the beginning
I did consider checking into a private pod, which
is located away from the cluster—a solitary pod in
one room that also has some space outside its
sliding door. I was also given the option of a suite,
with a queen-size bed and a large window. It,
however, seemed only fitting that I give the pod
a shot.
Turning in for the night, I find myself planning a
getaway, or “podation” as I call it. I think about an
upgraded business-class flight experience. It looks
a lot like my pod.
Urbanpod,
Mumbai
MAHARASHTRA
THE VITALS
Getting There
Urbanpod is located
in SEEPZ in Andheri,
Mumbai. The international
airport is about
15 min/5 km south of
the hotel. The closest
railway stations are
Bandra railway station
(30 min/35 km south)
and Chhatrapati Shivaji
Terminus (1.5 hr/35 km
south).
Accommodation
Urbanpod has 140
pods and rooms.
The Classic Pod is a
single-occupancy pod
located within a room
with 12-18 other pods.
Showers are separate.
There are 124 Classic
Pods. Of these, 18 are
only for women and
housed in one room.
The bathrooms are also
accommodated within
the same space. The
second kind, the Private
Pod, is not located in
a shared space and
has some extra space
outside. There are six
of these in all. The 10
suites are regular rooms
with a queen-size bed,
television and locker.
Meals are served at
the café and guests
are advised not to eat
inside the pods. (www.
theurbanpod.com;
pods from `1,800; suite
doubles `3,200.)
Urbanpod’s pods (top),
housed in clusters of
12-18 within a large
room, and 10 pod-suites
(middle) are located
on one floor; Meals
packaged like take-aways
are served in the hotel’s
sunny café (bottom).
PHOTO COURTESY: URBANPOD
MAY 2017 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA 121