How About Planet Earth for a View? A Space Hotel is in the Works!

Imagine waking up in your hotel room, opening the curtains, and seeing…Earth. From above it.

If all goes as planned, you may live this scenario in just six years — while enjoying a stay at the Von Braun Rotating Space Station, part of “mankinds [sic] first space station with artificial gravity.”

“You could call it a destination hotel, a low Earth orbit cruise ship, or a city in space with a spaceport,” the project’s builders, the Gateway Foundation, say on their homepage.

“Eventually, going to space will just be another option people will pick for their vacation, just like going on a cruise, or going to Disney World,” Tim Alatorre, senior design architect of the Von Braun Space Station, told Dezeen. If it’s like a cruise, you know frequent floater René will sign up ASAP! 😉

But could he (or anyone) actually float aboard the space hotel?

The artificial gravity allows guests to eat food, use restrooms, and take showers pretty much as we do on Earth. Personally, though, I think a short-term weightless experience (imagine the tickets they could sell!) would be pretty fun.

Mr. Alatorre explains the Von Braun station — projected to host about 100 people each week — will be comprised of “24 modules, each with up to 500 square metres of floor area.” (That’s almost 5382 square feet. Not bad.)  Modules will each have different purposes, “such as the bars, restaurants, recreation areas, and mechanical systems. A few modules will be for the hotel functions and private residences. Other modules will be sold or rented to governments and scientific bodies for research and development.”

Imagine working at the hotel and having exterior window washing duty. Yikes.

You can see some interesting interactive media here and check out an interview with Mr. Alatorre here.

Which Hotel Chain and/or Credit Card Company Would Be a Good Fit for the Von Braun?

Just for grins because many of us are points and miles enthusiasts: which hotel group would eventually take over the Von Braun? And which credit card company would offer space hotel benefits?

I’m thinking the space hotel will cater only to people who can afford to not only stay there but get there. I see something like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Aman, Viceroy (especially given their penchant for design) or maaaybe InterContinental.  What brand do you think would be a good fit for the space hotel?

Outside of who gets the hotel flag (and would a flag even fly in that gravitational situation? 😉 ) I think American Express would be the odds-on favorite to score a Von Braun co-brand. You know they’d add some benefit to the Platinum Card (“Get a $200 yearly credit — disbursed in $100 increments every six months, of course — to use at the Von Braun space hotel and save during your bazillion dollar stay!” Yeah, greeaat. Thanks.)

Or do you think Chase or Capital One (“What’s in your space suit?”) would snag the Von Braun account?

Can you imagine how many points one night would cost — let alone a week, since it sounds like that’s the minimum stay — would require?

Better start stocking up now…

–Chris

(Cover photo: ©iStock.com/Thanapol sinsrang)