Pokémon fans looking for an unusual place to sleep in Japan will soon have a chance to spend the night inside one of the franchise's most recognizable objects.
Pokémon Sleep and Japanese hospitality company NOT A HOTEL are bringing a Poké Ball-shaped hotel to Hokkaido in September 2026, turning the familiar red-and-white sphere into an overnight accommodation. Unlike a conventional themed hotel, however, the project will not open for regular reservations. Access will come through a special campaign, and only campaign winners will receive the chance to stay.
The companies are keeping many details under wraps, including the exact location, interior design, guest capacity, stay dates, and eligibility requirements. What they have confirmed is that the Poké Ball-themed hotel will appear somewhere in Hokkaido and that applications will open on September 15. That date is also expected to bring the full reveal of the experience, giving interested travelers their first detailed look at what sleeping inside the structure will involve.
According to NOT A HOTEL's September 1 announcement, the company developed the collaboration with Pokémon Sleep using its architecture and technology to turn the Poké Ball concept into a space where guests can actually spend the night. The announcement places the hotel somewhere in Hokkaido's natural surroundings but does not disclose a specific site.
The project draws directly from Pokémon Sleep, the mobile app centered on tracking and recording users' sleep. The official Pokémon Sleep website describes the concept by saying, "This sleep app gives you something fun to look forward to when you wake up in the morning." NOT A HOTEL says the Hokkaido experience is similarly designed around comfortable sleep and relaxation.
Pokémon Sleep has also said the hotel's design considers factors including how light enters the space, quietness, airflow, and bedding selection. Those details were shared as part of the project announcement and reinforce the sleep-focused concept behind the experience. Images released so far show the exterior of the spherical red-and-white structure, but the companies have not published a complete look at the interior.
Travelers cannot currently book the Poké Ball hotel through a reservation platform or purchase a stay directly. NOT A HOTEL says the experience is a special campaign for winners and that the property will not open to the general public during the campaign period. The company has not announced how it will choose winners.
The official Pokémon Sleep campaign page states that applications will open on September 15, 2026. NOT A HOTEL also says it will release details on how to apply that day. For now, the companies have not disclosed whether travelers outside Japan can enter, how many people will win, how many guests may stay at once, or whether participants must meet age or residency requirements.
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