Every Londoner knows the hell of being smushed against other human beings on the Central Line at rush hour.
It is quite truly the worst.
Us citydwellers hate general contact with humans (note how we refuse to make eye contact and don’t even say thank you to the bus drivers). That we’re forced to be pressed up against strangers as part of our commute is the height of cruelty.
While most of us get through the torture by keeping our eyes squarely on our phones and grumbling to everyone we meet, one hotel has come up with an alternative solution: a glorious jacket that promises an ‘exclusion zone’ of 18 inches.
The Space Optimiser is a jacket that does exactly as its name suggests.
It’s a light coat that can be inflated through an electric pump, allowing it to open up and remind people of your personal space.
Leonardo Hotels say they came up with the idea for the jacket after a recent study it commissioned revealed 3.5million Britons have never visited London, with 21% citing the capital being too busy and imposing on personal space.
So they reckon that giving visitors to the city their own special jackets to guarantee them some space on public transport could convince them the capital is worth visiting.
As people based in London, we ask that any tourists are also given a brief overview of Tube etiquette, so they don’t just end up enraging fedup Londoners with their bulky jacket and inability to stand on the correct side of the escalator.
The hotel isn’t planning on making the jacket for wider use, but say people can tweet them if they think the hotel should start offering them out to guests.
Jason Carruthers, MD of Jurys Inn and Leonardo Hotels UK and Ireland, said: ‘The results from the survey clearly show that busy crowds are stopping people from visiting this incredible city.
offer.
‘We have four incredible hotels in London (Tower Bridge, City, St Paul’s and Heathrow) and want to help make our guests’ trips as memorable as possible.
‘The Space Optimiser jacket will allow people to go into those crowded tourist hot spots, without feeling too overwhelmed by impositions on their personal space.’
If you don’t fancy waiting for the jacket to start being sold in-stores, you could make an equally obtrusive personal space barrier by attaching shoulder straps to a large hula hoop, or wearing layers of puffa jackets (that might get a bit hot, though).
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/24/every-londoner-needs-inflatable-personal-space-jacket-creates-exclusion-zone-18-inches-12116029/
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