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WALKING through any airport sees throngs of weary travellers eager to get to their final destination for some sleep. Some are seen sleeping on benches, while others visit the nearest café to get a quick coffee fix to keep themselves alert. Although some of us have no problem catching some shut eye on the plane, the vast majority of us travelling in coach find it extremely difficult to sleep in the cramped conditions. 

Sleep deprivation has been known to cause accidents, health problems such as heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, and memory loss. In our day and age, sleep is often seen as a wanton waste of time — there are so many distractions around that we find ourselves preoccupied with hundreds of other things at the tip of our fingers, and sleep becomes a secondary priority.

The lack of sleep quickly catches up with us, though, and soon, we all find ourselves feeling fatigued and in need of a nap, particularly on hectic trips, be they vacations or business trips. Travelling also causes our internal clocks to go haywire — time differences across continents make it difficult for us to get the correct amount of sleep at the right time, which is why sleeping in airports can be a great way to re-energise our bodies before arriving at our destinations. 

Recently, Snooze KL unveiled its brand new rest area located at the Contact Pier at KLIA, the first of its kind. Inspired by a similar service at the Dubai airport called “Snoozecube”, Snooze KL’s founder, New Zealander Wetini Mitai’s goal is to enable travellers to have a safe place to rest or catch up on some sleep while waiting for their connecting flights. Napping packages start from as low as RM30 per person. Rates are more favourable with larger parties and longer hours booked. 

The facility consists of 13 rooms, each big enough to accommodate two adults and one child. Each room is equipped with a bunk bed, WiFi, phone and laptop charging facilities, printing, fax and photocopying facilities as well as enough room to store hand-carry luggage. 

According to founder Mitai, who is of Maori descent, napping services are popular in other parts of the world and he’s confident that travellers in transit at KLIA will welcome this facility as well.  

“We decided to set up in Malaysia because we love the culture, food and more importantly, the people,” says Mitai. 

“All we do is Whnau. In Maori, Whnau means ‘extended family’ or ‘community’. It's behind everything that we do. When you walk through our doors, you become ‘manuhiri’, an ‘honoured family guest’ to our home. Whnau entrusts us to provide manuhiri with nothing but the best.”

Guests are encouraged to make bookings online to secure a room, although walk-ins are also welcome. Snooze KL is located near gates G4 and G6, which is the area where transits take place. According to Sleepinginairports.net, a website that does research on how well one can sleep in airports, KLIA is ranked the world’s fifth best airport in which to sleep. However, sleeping on regular chairs is hardly the best option when one is travelling with family, friends and valuables.

Snooze KL in effect, provides the perfect respite for tired travellers. For information or to make reservations, visit www.snoozekl.com or call (03) 8776 0828.

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This article first appeared in digitaledge Daily, on August 12, 2015.

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