Well, not exactly. The two branches of Yotel set to open in Heathrow and Gatwick late this year, and in the city proper in 2007, prefer to call their 10’x10’ rooms “cabins.” Like their Japanese brethren, however, these small compartments are bookable in chunks of a few hours-to-a-night, and are designed for business types who need to refresh before a meeting, or travelers stuck in the airport for odd stretches of time. They’re cheap, too, at roughly $75 (at the current exchange rate) for a full night in a standard cabin. What’s not cheap are the advertised business-class amenities like a flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi, desk with universal port, and the sleek, attached mini-bathroom. Also promising is the fact that two of the people behind the Yotel “concept” are the creator of the UK’s ubiquitous YO! Sushi chain, and a former GM and Development Manager from the inexpensive-but-stylish Hotel du Vin group. It’s high time this idea made its way to the other side of the International Date Line, if you ask me, but whether anonymous check-in and paying by-the-hour will translate successfully to the decidedly less fastidious West is anyone’s guess. (via Gadling)

Elsewhere:
– “Goodbye mini bar, hello mini room” (CNN)