Now Now NoHo: New York’s newest, bougiest capsule hotel
On my last few days in New York before a flight back to Italy, I checked into Now Now, a newly opened capsule hotel in NoHo
A new kind of stay
Located on Bowery, Now Now is a Japanese-style capsule hotel reimagined for downtown Manhattan. Tucked inside a renovated building in one of NYC’s buzziest neighborhoods, the concept caught my attention for two reasons: it looked impeccably designed, and the rates were shockingly reasonable for the area, where a basic room can now easily top several hundreds a night.
The hotel just opened in April of 2025, and at the time of my stay it had only been running for a couple of weeks, which meant I was likely one of the very first guests to experience this stay. As someone who’s stayed everywhere from local small stays to ‘fancy’ hotels, I was curious how this new concept would measure up.
The rooms: small but serious
There’s no elevator, so after a short hike upstairs, I arrived at a hallway of tightly packed doors leading to pod-sized, single-occupancy rooms.
It’s difficult to describe how compact these pods are until you step in there. Let’s just say that the wide-angle shots on the website are really doing their work. These aren’t rooms so much as refined train cabins, just a twin bed nestled inside a wood-paneled nook with mood lighting that have been described as ‘cozy’, but have zero square footage to spare. Guests should pack light, as there’s barely enough space to open a standard cabin suitcase in the room. I kept mine under the bed, making chasing outfits somewhat challenging.
The ceiling of the cabin is open to allow for air circulation–this design choice also means that all rooms are connected through the ceiling, therefore you will hear anything that is louder than a whisper from your neighbors (yes, including snoring).
That said, the cabins are extremely well-equipped: plush robe, fresh towels, eye mask, ear plugs, a sound machine, and even a branded tote for carrying your toiletries to the shared bathrooms.
The bathrooms: shockingly great
I initially expected the shared bathrooms to be a downside, but they turned out to be a highlight of the stay. Each floor has multiple individual shower and toilet stalls, and they’re beautifully designed. They have a spa/resort feel to them, with brass fixtures, Moroccan tiles, stained glass, and ambient lighting.
Bathrooms are stocked with Grown Alchemist products and Dyson hair dryers. I’ve stayed in much more expensive hotels with worse bathrooms. I actually looked forward to the robe-and-shower ritual every day. The whole experience felt surprisingly luxe.
The bathrooms were also extremely clean. I can’t say how much of this was because the hotel was brand new, but I did see staff wipe surfaces constantly.
Aesthetic + intention = new luxury
Design is where Now Now really shines. The whole place feels intentional—from the prefab columns and marble touches to the mood lighting and ambient soundscapes in the stairwells. There’s a tactile quality to it all, like the hotel was built for a design-savvy, detail-hungry crowd.
And it’s tapping into a clear trend: younger travelers, especially Gen Z and millennials, are willing to compromise on space in exchange for curated, sensory-rich experiences. I call this “microdosing luxury.” Like buying a Le Labo sample instead of the $300 bottle. Or flying economy but splurging for lounge access. You’re not opting out of luxury, you’re micro-dosing it.
Now Now understands that. With capsule-style rooms, communal (but elevated) amenities, and a lifestyle-brand approach to sleepwear, the hotel caters to solo travelers who crave luxury and affordability in equal measure.
Not a hostel. Not quite a hotel. Something new.
Calling Now Now a hostel feels reductive. There are no shared rooms, but while the footprint is tight, the hospitality isn’t. Housekeeping comes every day. Fresh linens and towels are provided daily, service at the front desk is excellent.
This is something else. A boutique stay for the “TikTok dupes” generation. A proof of concept for what happens when you treat budget travelers like VIPs.
From a brand strategy standpoint, I believe that Now Now is well-positioned to cater to a market opportunity. It meets the moment where travel, design, and self-care intersect. The guests I saw—decked out in designer bags and Rimowa luggage—weren’t slumming it. They were opting into an intentional lifestyle brand, one square foot at a time.
Some real limitations
All above said, this stay isn’t for everyone. here’s my biggest trade-offs:
– Privacy/Noise: The open ceiling design has obvious downsides: You’ll hear your neighbors snore, cough, etc. They do provide ear plugs and a sound machine, but still.
– Climate control: You can’t control your room temp. It’s shared AC, airline-style.
– No elevator: They offer to carry your bag upstairs, but prepare for four flights of stairs each time you’re getting back to your room.
– Locker access: Charging guests for basement lockers when the rooms are this small feels like a miss.
– Limited communal space: The ‘lounge’ downstairs is just a small, uninviting room with a vending machine. The lobby is quite nice but space is limited. There's also a ground floor bar/café next door but it was still under construction when I visited.
– There’s also a loose vibe to guest enforcement. The rooms are technically single-occupancy, but let’s just say… keep your ear plugs handy.
Final verdict
If you can handle tight quarters and crave design, this place delivers. You get a killer robe. Top-tier soap. Spa-level showers. You also get noise, no elevator, and no room to stretch.
But let’s be honest, if you’re in New York you’re here to experience the city, not your hotel room. And for that, Now Now makes a compelling case for the future of travel.
→ Book Now Now on Linear
About the contributor:
Lorenzo Lasagna is a senior content and brand strategist with over 10 years of experience shaping digital storytelling for brands across the U.S. and EMEA. He writes about branding, culture, and emerging trends at the intersection of tech, design, and lifestyle.
About Linear Magazine:
Linear is for the Architecturally Curious. We explore the world through design — curating remarkable stays, immersive experiences, and thoughtful storytelling at the intersection of architecture, design, culture, and lifestyle. Nominate your project, tell your story.
 | A guest post by
|