The Jucy Snooze, Christchurch Aiport in the company's signature green and purple. Photo / Supplied
The Jucy Snooze, Christchurch Aiport in the company's signature green and purple. Photo / Supplied
A Kiwi pod-hotel chain famous for small rooms is about to see its big American dreams come to fruition.
Jucy Snooze which has 530 beds currently in "pods" for travellers on a budget, plans to open new hotels on America's West Coast.
The "micro-accommodation" company with branches across Auckland, Queenstown and Christchurch has signed up to a joint venture with the LA company "Stay Open", with the aim of bringing 220 tiny hotel rooms to California.
The Kiwi pod-hotel chain has eyed up plans for a $16m development in San Diego. Photo / Supplied
San Diego has been identified as the first site for the American expansion, with sites planned across Hollywood and Santa Monica.
Jucy campervan rental, which found popularity with backpackers visiting New Zealand, has already expanded into the US.
The Kiwi company's CEO, Tim Alpe said; "The Jucy Snooze concept is about meeting the growing demand for budget accommodation as well as designing socially interactive spaces."
His company identified the desire among younger travellers to connect through shared spaces.
The company had also been investing in new systems for in which tech-savvy visitors could check in and access rooms using phones or smart devices.
"We have also created new technology to remove some of the traditional pain points which allows guests to manage their own check-in process without needing to queue," he said.
Next stop, America: Jucy CEO, Tim Alpe. Photo / Brett Phibbs, New Zealand Herald
Plans for the San Diego site have already been turning heads in the States. The proposed $16m pod hotel will be fitted into a building in the Port District. Squeezing 226 accommodation "pods" into the 2000 square metres.
Meanwhile, closer to home, this week the Jucy campervans unveiled a new fleet of fully electric rental vans. They hope the move will appeal to increasingly eco-conscious backpackers who want to see New Zealand without burning fossil fuels.
Clean machine: Jucy hopes to woo the eco-conscious with its new fleet of electric vans. Photo / Paul Reiffer, Supplied
"EV's are the future, and perhaps the path will come from the commercial sector after Jucy rentals released their first fully electric camper van fleet," Alpe told Newstalk ZB on Tuesday.
While the first generation of EV vans reportedly had some issues with recharging and range, the new fleet should squeeze out 180km a day.
This would put Queenstown within reach of Dunedin, in two full charges.
