A 34-capsule hotel in Myeongdong holds 60-70% occupancy by targeting solo travelers—students, job seekers, business trips—who need something between jjimjilbangs and hotels.
♦︎ Property type: Guesthouse (Capsule hotel)
♦︎ Address: 23 Toegye-ro 45-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
♦︎ Room types: Male-only capsule rooms, Female-only capsule rooms
Q. Tell us about yourself.
I'm Jung Seung-ho, manager of The Capsule, a capsule hotel in Seoul.
Q. How did you get into hospitality?
I was an office worker. But I felt boxed in. I wanted to run something on my own. Around that time a friend who ran an Airbnb asked if I'd start a guesthouse together. That was 2016. We officially launched The Capsule Myeongdong in 2019.
Q. What is The Capsule Myeongdong?
The Capsule Myeongdong is a 34-capsule hotel. Five floors. Three men's floors, two women's floors. We opened in March 2019. Most capsule hotels outsource the capsule design. We designed and assembled ours modularly — that's what sets us apart. We've since productized the modules and sell them to other businesses.
Q. Who are your main guests?
Travelers, yes. But also students in Seoul for weekly lessons, job seekers here for interviews, professionals on business trips. If you're solo in Seoul, your options are limited. Jjimjilbang is uncomfortable. Hotels feel expensive. We're affordable solo lodging. Before the pandemic we had lots of international travelers. Now it's mostly domestic guests.
Q. How did COVID change things?
Early on we got hit hard. Occupancy dropped from the 90s to the 30s. But we recovered fast. Now we're holding 60–70% occupancy. A lot of Seoul properties shut down or closed for good. We're grateful people keep booking.
Q. How do you market the property?
Google and Naver search ads. Social ads. What's interesting: most people search "Seoul capsule hotel" or "solo accommodation." We thought travelers would be the majority. Turns out a lot of people just need a place to crash alone for personal reasons.
Q. Why did you choose ONDA?
We've used ONDA since late 2015, when we first started. You want to take bookings from as many channels as possible. Booking.com sends an email. Agoda sends an email. Then you paste them into a spreadsheet. It's a nightmare. I looked for something to sync reservations. Back then ONDA (called Jari at the time) was the first channel manager in Korea. That's why we picked it.
Q. What changed after you started using ONDA?
We've never not used ONDA, so it's hard to compare. But the best part is you barely have to think about reservation management. Some of our staff worked at other guesthouses before. They tell me they had to manually update spreadsheets and check email constantly. We don't. The time and labor we save on admin goes to taking care of guests.
Q. What's your favorite ONDA feature?
We compared a few channel managers. ONDA's spreadsheet view — room numbers, dates, all in one glance — is the most intuitive. Other tools use list formats that don't make sense visually.
Q. Any tips for using ONDA PMS in a capsule hotel?
Capsule beds are one-person only. We use the spreadsheet to assign rooms based on guest preference. This applies to any dormitory setup. Example: most people want lower bunks. Climbing ladders is annoying. A lot of solo travelers want minimal interaction with other guests. So we assign lower bunks first, and when multiple guests are on the same floor we space them as far apart as possible.
Q. What's your operating playbook?
Our guests are extremely price-sensitive. They're solo travelers. They're expecting to pay under ₩20,000 a night. A ₩1,000 or ₩2,000 difference moves the needle on occupancy. So we run dynamic pricing — constantly adjusting rates by date.
Some guests book last-minute. Some book early (early-bird). We discount for both. Booking patterns shift with price. We watch and adjust constantly. We change rates three or four times a week using ONDA's date-based pricing tool.
That feature got way more powerful when Jari became ONDA. Before, I had to log into Booking.com, then Airbnb, then change rates one by one. Now I bulk-update everything in ONDA. Huge time-saver.
Q. What's the future for The Capsule Myeongdong?
Pre-COVID, we wanted a chain. Multiple locations. Now we've pivoted. Demand for solo space has surged. Companies want sleep capsules in their offices. Break rooms, nap areas. We're not just hospitality anymore. We're a space solutions company. Bigger dream.
Q. In one line: what is ONDA to The Capsule Myeongdong?
I'll answer for hospitality operators in general, since we've been with ONDA from day one. ONDA is indispensable. It's been our partner the entire time. I can't imagine running this place without it. (laughs)