First space hotel to open in 2012

by Kraig Becker on

Adventurous travelers hoping to one day go into space received good news yesterday when the Barcelona based company behind the Galactic Suite Space Resort announced that their orbiting hotel will open for business in 2012, ushering in a new era in travel.

The world’s first space hotel will begin operations with just a single pod that can hold up to four guests and two pilots. Other pods will be added over time, increasing capacity as needed. The zero-g resort will orbit the Earth at 30,000 mph, completely circling the planet once every 80 minutes, while offering visitors 15 sunrises per day. The cost of a 3-day stay starts at $4.4 million, which includes an eight week training course on a tropical island that will prepare would-be astronauts for life without gravity. Travel time to the hotel will be another day and a half aboard a shuttle craft.

The Galactic Suite project got quite a boost recently when an anonymous billionaire, who is described as a “space enthusiast”, invested $3 billion to the project. With their coffers over flowing, at least for now, the company is able to move ahead with their time table, despite warnings from critics that feel the time frame is too ambitious and dangerous.

Galactic Suites claim that more than 200 people have already inquired about staying at the hotel, with 43 of them actually putting in their reservations. Someone should probably warn these future guests that there is no concierge and room service will likely be awful, but the view is going to be unmatched for sure.

World’s First Space Hotel Plans to Open in 2012

by Martha Edwards on

Please pardon the forthcoming cheesiness, but here’s a story that’s quite literally out of this world: The world’s first space hotel is slated to open in 2012. What began as a hobby for Barcelona architect Xavier Claramunt is about to become a reality, thanks to careful planning and perseverance … not to mention $3 billion that he fronted for the project. Guests of the Galactic Suite can fly around the world in 80 minutes, see the sun rise 15 times a day and experience the weightlessness that has until now been limited mostly to astronauts.

Wearing Velcro suits, guests can navigate their way through the luxury hotel. There’s only one problem though — bathrooms. They’ve got the showering part figured out — guests will float through a ‘spa room’ filled with bubbles of water, but they seem to be trying to figure out a way for guests to do ‘other’ duties in a way that is luxurious enough to justify the exorbitant price tag.

Speaking of the price, it’s $4 million for a 3-night stay, including an eight-week training session. And while I think the experience would be amazing, I can’t see myself spending that much money on a hotel unless it has a really nice pool and room service. But then again, I’ve never had the liberty of spending money as a millionaire would, so who knows?

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