Practice flying an airplace inside one of Japan’s busiest airports.
Last July the Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu inside Domestic Terminal 2 of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport made headlines around the world when it was announced that the hotel would soon start offering guests the opportunity to stay in a room with a rather interesting feature: a full-sized Boeing 737-800 flight simulator just like the kind pilots train on.
Called the “Superior Cockpit Room,” this unique lodging option is on the fourth floor of this seven-floor hotel and was set up as a way to celebrate the upcoming 15th anniversary of the hotel on December 1st of this year.
Unfortunately, getting to use the simulator and sleeping in the room entails two separate fees. If you wish to just learn how to fly a 737, you can do so by booking one of the two daily afternoon 90-minute instructor-led private lessons that are offered. One of these sessions will cost you 300,000 yen (~$282 USD) and will allow participants to fly a virtual 737 from Haneda Airport to Osaka’s Itami Airport with a former pilot at your side making sure your virtual passengers make it to their destination safely.
Those wishing to sleep in this double occumpancy room do not get access to the simulator during their stay. The simulator is partitioned off by a clear plastic wall, which although it allows guests to peer into the cockpit and watch the images on-screen, it also prevents them from actually sitting in the pilot’s seat and touching the instruments. A one-night stay in the Superior Cockpit Room begins at 25,300 yen (~$237).
Despite the widespread press coverage this room got earlier this year, the executives at the Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu were reportedly quite restrained in their estimates for how long it would take the hotel to recoup the cost of the simulator. According to the Japanese arm of the website IT Media, a representative of the hotel said that they were hoping to make back the funds they spent on the simulator within three years. However, it seems that things are going exceedingly well for the hotel because the representative revealed that as of August 1st they were already on track to make back 22.2% of their investment by the end of September. If this pace were to continue the hotel will have made all its money back in less than a year since the simulator began operation on July 18 of this year.
According to the same report the simulator has been in high demand from its very first day, meaning that if you’re looking to find out what it’s like to fly a plane from Tokyo to Osaka during the next time you stop by Haneda Airport, you should book your simulator time as soon as possible.
Haneda Excel Tokyu Hotel (羽田エクセルホテル東急) Information
How to get there
The Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu is connected to Domestic Terminal 2 of Haneda Airport and can be accessed via the departures lobby on the second floor.
Phone
+81 3-5756-6000
Website
Main Website (English)
