Several American airports have sleep centers for travelers to rest, however, one of the busiest airports in the country, Miami, did not have this much-needed service until almost ten days ago when the Miami-Dade County Commissioner gave the green light to begin this project.
Officials in the southern county approved the contract with the Wait N'Rest company after the Economic Development Committee and the airport itself gave their approval last month. The rooms will have the necessary and comfortable means to rest and will have cutting-edge technology to reduce ambient noise.
The price of the dormitories is between $30 and $60 per hour, according to Rafael Cutiรฉ, director and CEO of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, who points out that only those with a ticket will benefit from this service.
The contract between the parties establishes that it has a term of five years, renewable for another five years if both parties decide to do so. If it is extended, the county predicts that in that period of time they could generate income of 10 million dollars, always based on their 25% cut of the income.
The legal agreement also provides that one of the sleep centers will be located on the third floor of the south terminal, while its counterpart will be on the same level, but in the north terminal. The rooms will have a space of 34 square feet equipped with beds or sofas with clean sheets and pillows, and a pleasant temperature that can be adjusted with the remote control.
Something that is essential in this type of facility is that it will have soundproof walls, which will ensure that the noise of the planes is not felt too strongly inside the bedrooms. They will be equipped with Wi-Fi and mobile charging points, as well as a self check-in and check-out system.
As mentioned at the beginning, several airports in the country have had this service for some time. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport are some of those that offer rooms for passengers to rest.
But it is not only the American airports that have these highly comfortable facilities, Wait N' Rest also has sleeping centers in the airports of Lima, Peru and Bogotรก in Colombia, which means that it is expanding its offer while continuing to attract the attention of other markets.
This is not the only change that will take place at MIA. In January of this year, Mayor Daniella Levine announced that an ambitious investment process had been approved that would change and transform the airport in order to provide better service for both nationals and foreign tourists. โThe days of disinvestment in Miami International Airport are over,โ Levine said at the time.
A new parking area is planned and should be ready by 2026. According to the authorities, 130 million dollars are being invested in repairing roofs and installing solar panels.
Another plan that provides a solution for travelers is the repair of elevators and escalators in the terminals, which are out of service. 681 million dollars are being invested in their modernization.
