Barcelona Disses Plans For A Space Hotel

by Reena Ganga on

Do you find yourself bored by the typical hotel’s amenities? Butler services, organic mini bars and other bells and whistles just don’t do it for you anymore? Well how about staying in a hotel with a vertical wind tunnel? And maybe after that you can unwind in the world’s first zero-gravity spa? It sounds pretty out there, but those features are actually part of the plans for a Space Hotel in Barcelona, Spain.

The company behind the project, Mobilona, recently announced their vision for the complex, which includes a hotel, private apartments, a 24-hour shopping mall and a marina. All of this would be built on a Dubai-style, man-made island giving guests sea views no matter which way their room faces. A stay in the 2,000-suite hotel – which looks like something out of a sci-fi movie – would cost between 300 and 1500 euros per night.However, Barcelona’s mayor insists he won’t have any of it, saying the futuristic hotel doesn’t fit with his vision of the city’s future. “We have no intention of turning Barcelona into a spectacle,” he told local media. Despite this, plans for the space-age hotel may live to see another day, with the Mobilona announcing similar projects in Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

Russian firm reveals plans for a “space hotel”

by McLean Robbins on




The newest hotel plans in development are far out … literally. Russian firm Orbital Technologies revealed plans for a space hotel at a conference in Moscow this week. The hotel has a predicted 2016 opening, the Daily Mail reports.

Initial data suggests that a five day stay will cost around £100,000, not counting transportation costs of £250,000+.

The “hotel” will be “far more comfortable” than the International Space Station, says Orbital CEO Sergei Kostenko, and will feature seven guests in four cabins. The hotel “pod” will occupy 706 cubic feet and feature massive windows 217 miles above earth and be accessible via Russian Soyuz rockets.

Beds will have a horizontal or vertical option as well as sealed showers.

“Our planned module inside will not remind you of the ISS,” Kostenko said. “The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space.”

Kostenko aims to have his project finished before that of Virgin exec Richard Branson.

What do you think? Would you visit the space hotel?

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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.

20 things about living in space

by Martha Edwards on

Space is soon to become the next frontier, for travel and maybe for living too. With the world’s first space hotel set to start accommodating guests within 5 years, here are some things you should know about spending time in space, courtesy of Discover:

  • Space sickness is common. You could have several symptoms, including nausea, headaches and trouble locating your limbs.
  • Your health will be affected in others ways too — including kidney stones, muscle atrophy and slower bowel movements. And the scariest side effect? Your heart will shrink.
  • But you’ll be taller overall. Expect to grow about 2 inches.
  • If you’re pregnant, it will affect how your baby’s inner ear develops, meaning he or she (or they) could have problems with balance.
  • If you snore on earth, you won’t in space (I live with a snorer so this one sounds ideal, actually)
  • But you won’t get regular sleep — in space, there are 16 sunrises a day!
  • If you like salt on your food, you have to use it in liquid form.
  • When you use the bathroom, you have to position yourself precisely in the right spot so things will go to … well, you know. But don’t worry, cameras will help guide your way.

Hmmmm …. suddenly, staying in space doesn’t sound all the fun. Want to know more about what happens in zero gravity? Read the full list.

Genesis II: Inflatable Space Hotel

by Justin Glow on

The Genesis II, an inflatable space module recently sent into orbit via a Russian rocket, is the starting point to what hopes to become a “full-scale space hotel.” Bigelow Aerospace, the company behind the project, plans to launch another module later this year that will link up with the Genisis II, and hopefully become the world’s highest (and most expensive, I’m sure) hotel room.

Don’t count on booking a trip anytime soon, however. “[E]xperts say the costs of commercial space travel need to come down before it can be a success,” says the BBC. “As a result, Mr Bigelow is offering a $50m prize to anyone who can design a craft capable of carrying five people to a height of 400km (250 miles) before 2010.”

Cool.

[Via Engadget]