A $40 hotel room in central London? Of course there’s a catch | CNN

Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay. In our roundup of travel news this week: the viral “snow” spot that’s actually hazardous waste, the design concept that reinvents the worst seat on the airplane, plus CNN spends a night at the world’s biggest capsule hotel. London is one of the world’s most expensive cities, so a central hotel stay right by Piccadilly Circus for just $40 a night is surely a bargain. The only problem is that it involves sleeping in a tiny coffin-like box, one of almost 1,000 that make up the world’s largest capsule hotel. CNN’s Barry Neild went downtown to try it out. Watch here, if you dare. There’s more terrifying lodging in store in our feature on the multiple “Shining” hotels made famous by Stanley Kubrick’s film and Stephen King’s novel. As we know from the twins in the movie, things can get eerie once duplicates are involved. CNN’s David Allan went to the hotels to stay — but would his visit last “forever and ever”? The last row of economy is typically the least desirable area of the plane: you can’t re

Apr 25, 2026 → Apr 25, 2026