IKEA builds nap hotel in Stockholm shopping mall

Earlier this year, we wrote about a sympathetic initiative by Paris airports, giving weary travellers a chance to recharge with a dose of full-spectrum light therapy. Last week, IKEA offered fatigued Stockholm shoppers a similar form of respite by installing a Sovhotell (sleep hotel) in one of the city’s downtown shopping centres. After checking in at Sovhotell’s front desk, guests were asked whether they normally sleep on their stomach, side or back, and were given a pillow to suit their personal sleeping style. In addition to single and double beds, the Sovhotell also featured a bridal suite. Guests were welcome to snooze for 15 minutes, and were given eye masks and headphones with soothing soundscapes to help them benefit from their sponsored power naps. According to IKEA, inspiration for the Sovhotell came from Japanese capsule hotels and from the fact that the shoppers in its own stores are occasionally found napping in the bedroom section. No word yet on whether IKEA is planning to bring this shopper-friendly campaign to malls in other parts of the world, but we think it’s a great example of the tryvertising trend: marketing a product by letting customers try it out in a relevant setting, without pressuring them to buy. Spotted by: Frida Berglund