Layovers of 10 hours or more demand a good lie-down. And I’m not one to sleep in the terminal in case someone attempts putting my hand in warm water. This time, I stayed at the Transit Resting Lounge by Aerotel at Hong Kong International Airport. Unlike my previous stay at the Darakkyu Capsul in Seoul, this hotel was inside the passenger terminal, just before Gate 35.

I booked a 6-hour stay (12:00AM to 6:00AM) on Agoda. My flight arrived at 10:30PM, so I thought perhaps they could check me in and out a bit early. No they could not. So I had to kill an hour.

Once checked in, I was impressed with the facilities. It’s about as compact as many of the business hotel rooms in Tokyo. It’s definitely for solo travelers, as the bed (or fainting couch) only has room for one. And there’s nothing to bar visibility into the shower or toilet.

The main drawback is the proximity to the tarmac, but they provide ear plugs for this. Also, there was a light outside angled just enough to deter sleep, but they also provide a sleep mask for this.

It took me forever to get to sleep, and when I did, it was time to get up and fly to Chicago.