[DocTomoe]

Some thoughts:

Actively blocking cell phone signals might be illegal depending on your country - but building a faraday cage isn't.

Given how much of your identity a phone has become, and how easily someone could take my identity over if they had access to my device, only death or threat of deadly force will separate me from mine. If you want to go for the "handing in" approach, maybe small lockers are ok (especially so if they are padlock-operated and I bring my own padlock). Bonus points for being able to charge the battery in these (Like the phone charging boxes often present at airports)

In Europe, there are several places that offer "connectionfree vacations", often in remote valleys, often in monasteries (sometimes run by clergy, sometimes not) with thick walls.

Such a "cell" would be best if it not only had a desk, but also something more comfortable, like a couch. Bonus points for the ability to get cold and/or hot beverages on-site.

I'd pay a monthly membership fee of around 50 Euros for this.

[jaclaz]

>I'd pay a monthly membership fee of around 50 Euros for this.

Yep, but how many hours are you going (or expect) to use this space (monthly)?

I mean 1 hour/month, 1 hour/week or 1 hour/day.

Moreover would you envision it as "reservation based" or "First Come First Served"? [1]

More or less one of this cells could be a half-length shipping container, roughly 6 m x 2.50 m, which (has to be verified) probably also works as a Faraday cage.

[1] I don't know, but having to be there at a given hour or arriving at a time when all boxes are alredy taken could add to the stress.

[DocTomoe]

> Yep, but how many hours are you going (or expect) to use this space (monthly)?

3-4 hours per week, similar to gym use (which costs be about the same).

> Moreover would you envision it as "reservation based" or "First Come First Served"?

For practicality reasons, I guess best would be a mixed system: have 80% of your rooms reservation based, 20% on a reserve "first come, first serve" approach, which I can get by randomly showing up and paying a premium fee.

> half-length shipping container

Make them sound-insulated and put on a climate unit, and I am fine with that.

[jaclaz]

So, given that you would be the "perfect average" user, 12-16 hours/month for 50 bucks, for some 6*2.5=15 sqm.

24 h open 7/7 at 2/3 occupancy would be 30x24x2/3=480 h/month, so 480/16=30 users/half container, or 30x50=1,500 US$/month.

To cover the 24hx7=168 hours/week (considering holidays/illness/whatever) you will need 6 or 7 people in the role of reception/cleaning/etc., if costs for each are 5,000 US$/month, and we assume to spend no more than 50% for personnel, you need 70,000 US$/month of income, so 70,000/1,500=47 half containers. let's make them 50 (one will be used for reception, one for storage, and one for common toilets).

You will need 50% more area than the area occupied by containers (for corridors between them) 50x6x2.50x1.50= 1,125, or between 1,000 and 1,500 sqm for this "camp".

At first sight is doable, the income is not different from a hotel room (at 100US$/night and 50% occupancy) but the building costs are far smaller, a half length container can cost, including the modifications around 10,000 US$, let's make it 12,000 including furniture, whilst a hotel room is more like 30 sqm at 2,000 US$/sqm or 60,000 US$.

And of course I didn't consider the "gym effect" of people paying the monthly fee but never showing up, and the "premium fee" you mention for a "no reservation".

[chouchinhua]

One idea is to let the guest put his device in a faraday cage, locked, and bring the cage into the room. The key of the cage would be kept at the counter accessible to the guest also in a self-serve manner. So the guest will know he has his device with him, but cannot use it during his stay.