Underwater Hotel: Sleeping with the Fishes
When you picture your perfect seaborne vacation it probably didn’t look as permanent as hanging out with Luca Debrazi. But if you’re dying for the experience, between cement shoes and $10k a night, I’d take a room at the Hydropolis Underwater Hotel any day.
The idea of building a hotel set in the deep blue isn’t a new one. For years the novelty of undersea accommodations has been battled out, with resorts like the Poseidon Mystery Island in Fiji and the Hydropolis in Dubai trying to take the cake. Yet alas, as it is with most innovative architecture these days, you’ll need to take a trip to Dubai to experience the magic first hand. Even though an official opening date has yet to be announced, they’ve raised the $550 million and have recently overcome ecological concerns during construction.
Although they won’t be amongst the first in undersea restaurants, such as the Ithaa and Red Sea Star – which are both 16 feet below sea level, they’ll be offering a lot more. Along with fine dining in its restaurants and bars, it will also feature a grand ballroom, shopping mall, a cosmetic surgery clinic, and a marine biology lab.
All 220 suites will offer the utmost luxury that would make even Jules Verne blink. That might be because his novel 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea didn’t go so far as to suggest a petal-like retractable roof for open-air events. He also left out the train that will connect you to tunnels in an above land station, where you’ll check-in to your room at 65 feet below sea level.
This may be the first to open, but the designers have plans to open similar underwater projects in several different locations around the globe. Further footage isn’t available as of yet. But if you need a concept video to quench your thirst you can watch this one from its rival, Poseidon in Fiji, which is scheduled for opening in Mid-2008.
Watch the future as it unfolds:
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Neece said
am December 13 2007 @ 7:39 am
Wow! You know, I wasn’t sold on the idea until you mentioned the cosmetic surgery clinic. Then I knew it was the vacation destination for me.
It sounds quite amazing.
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 13 2007 @ 8:45 am
@Neece, yeah, I guess any extreme luxury resort isn’t complete without a surgery clinic these days. The types of amenities in this hotel that come standard are shocking, but I’m sure that’s the point.
I’ve been SCUBA diving for years now and I always wondered when some entrepreneurs were going to get together to make this a reality. I can’t wait to go experience it first hand.
c7 said
am December 13 2007 @ 8:07 pm
Wow kinda reminds me of Bioshock, totally frikkin awesome!
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 13 2007 @ 9:03 pm
@c7, it didn’t even cross my mind until you said something… but now you mention it I can see it too.
Mark said
am December 13 2007 @ 9:07 pm
i have to check this place out.
even if only to ask a waiter, “so how’s your seafood?”
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 13 2007 @ 10:23 pm
@Mark, oh yeah I feel you there. The puns have no limit for this place.
Dan said
am December 13 2007 @ 10:32 pm
Tell me that this means that they’re filming a live action ‘Sealab 2021′.
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 13 2007 @ 10:46 pm
@Dan, if Adult Swim had their way Captain Hazel Murphy and Doctor Quentin Q. Quinn would have a field day.
Liam said
am December 13 2007 @ 11:01 pm
Depending on the air pressurization beneath the sea level, wouldn’t it be required to stay in a hotel above sea-level to avoid getting the bends while leaving on an airplane?
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 13 2007 @ 11:06 pm
@Liam, great question. I would imagine that the entire structure is pressurized. Otherwise you would have major problems, just like most divers do, from air to under the sea.
phauna said
am December 14 2007 @ 12:27 am
Dying.
Myztry said
am December 14 2007 @ 3:52 am
“petal-like retractable roof for open-air events”
If it can open to the surface it’s not under water. More like a container sitting most part in the water.
If the floors, rather than the roof exposed to the water, it would be much more interesting. But then their is pressurization issues.
And the fact that air can escape a small hole much faster than water can enter the same hole would make it much more dangerous.
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 14 2007 @ 4:02 am
@Myztry, the petal-like retractable roof is above the surface, as seen in the picture. It would be a real marvel if there were some sort of solution to have a large glass dome under the water for events but I’m just not sure as to the structural integrity of something like that.
I wonder what they’d do in a high tide the way it’s designed now?
CCNA Discovery said
am December 14 2007 @ 4:46 am
Congrats. You’re on digg!
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 14 2007 @ 6:12 am
CCNA Discovery, thank you, I’m glad my server holds up well under the load of a front page Digg!
Richard said
am December 14 2007 @ 8:42 am
Wow, thats crazy! I’d love to take my family there for one night, however not at the rate.
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 14 2007 @ 9:22 am
@Richard, I suspect that luxury experiences such as this hotel and a flight into space via Virgin Galactic will be more commonplace amongst the middle class than you would imagine.
Just look at the Concorde, people became enthusiasts and saved for years just to ride on it once across the Atlantic.
Generalist said
am December 14 2007 @ 9:45 am
I call BS on the Poseidon video. By the time that hotel is built all those fishes and coral will be dead and or dying due to construction, global warming, or a combination of both.
Yeah right dolphins swimming past the windows, uh huh, bah!
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 14 2007 @ 1:03 pm
@Generalist, bah, humbug is right. Sure, you have a valid point. That is precisely the reason why this hotel has had so many problems in the past as well.
But don’t forget the countless artificial reefs that are created by sunken ships around the world. Where there was once life there is now teeming biological diversity.
If construction led to the death of reefs man could always try to foster them back to health.
Evan said
am December 14 2007 @ 3:22 pm
Can you say Rapture? Won’t be long before there are splicers roaming the halls for Adam…
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 14 2007 @ 3:39 pm
@Evan, the ultimate capitalistic and individualist paradise under the sea! Hopefully the halls of this luxury hotel won’t be littered with corpses and zombies.
Jeff said
am December 14 2007 @ 3:43 pm
No freakin’ way! We’re staying there when we make our million$ and take our around the world trip.
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 14 2007 @ 7:06 pm
@Jeff, me too brother, me too.
Alana said
am December 24 2007 @ 12:28 am
Amazing,.,.,…..
O-sick said
am January 27 2008 @ 12:11 pm
i have a bad feeling bout this..
sounds like the next titanic.
Kayla Love said
am February 20 2008 @ 2:24 pm
This is where im going on my honey moon im really excited and my girl friend is to . . . even if i do die under water i love the ocean anyways so im not worried . . .
Jerad Kaliher said
am February 20 2008 @ 3:48 pm
@Kayla Love, I doubt you’ll go belly up in such a lavish hotel. Have fun!
River Thorn said
am April 9 2008 @ 6:44 am
Wow! This is amazing! I just found it when I was looking at hotels! I can’t believe this! I totally want to go there! Although, heh, I think it would be funny to look up and see fish. Maybe a little freaky. ^.^ whatever. Amazing guys!
SOPHIE LEONARDI said
am May 27 2008 @ 1:39 am
It’s like a dream come true, but it’s to far away from my country, Hik!!!
Michaela said
am July 30 2009 @ 8:23 am
Wow. It’s going to be amazing if it has already been done or if it actually happens. But do you really have to wear cement shoes? And if so, why?