Hotel facilities just keep surpassing previous standards, boundaries are continually pushed and innovative concepts are incessantly redefined through new design, unexplored locations and novel levels of opulence. People have never globetrotted as much as they do now, so it's about time that hotels became as exciting as travel itself. The utilitarian hotel room is soon to become a thing of the past, and good riddance too. What's the point if it's not extreme?
Hydropolis Underwater Hotel
Location: Gulf Coast, Dubai
Opening: 2009
Why Should You Try the Hydopolis?
How many times in your life will you have the opportunity to live and sleep among the creatures of the sea, coming up for air as and when you please? An experience like no other, the Hydropolis should be on everyone's to-do list. This 10-star underwater hotel comes complete with all the health treatments, entertainment and trimmings you'd expect and more, in an underwater haven away from the strains of real life. The Hydropolis developers are even in talks with Disney to bring an underwater production of The Little Mermaid to the hotel's lobby.
Steer Well Clear of the Hydropolis If...
- You're scared of water;
- You're afraid of sea creatures;
- You have claustrophobic tendencies.
Price:Around US$5,000 per night
Hotel Pods
Location: Anywhere you like
Opening: Concept by M3 Architects
Why Should You Try a Hotel Pod?
It means that you can vacation anywhere you want to in the world with traditional restrictions removed. Now it doesn't matter if there's no place to stay in your dream location - bring your own accommodation. A helicopter will drop-off you and your Pod and pick you up again when you're ready to come home. Furthermore, the Hotel Pod has minimal environmental impact once in-situ (although the environmental impact of getting you there may well be another matter entirely), heating itself up and storing waste until it can be suitably disposed of.
Steer Well Clear of a Hotel Pod If...
- You don't like the isolated life;
- The term 'helicopter drop-off' sounds far too literal for your liking;
- If you definitely have to be somewhere after your holiday is over (what if they forget to pick you up..?)
Price:N/A
Blow Up Hall 50 50
Location: Poznan, Poland
Opened:March 2009
Why Should You Try the Blow Up Hall 50 50?
Blow Up 50 50 calls itself the most futuristic hotel in the world. With a lobby filled with thousands of scrambled CCTV images of guests, check-in involving choosing from pictures, colors and numbers and iPhones opening your door rather than the traditional clunky-key-on-oversized-keyring routine, 'futuristic' is certainly one word for it.
Steer Well Clear of Blow Up Hall 50 50 If...
- 'Electronic art' makes you dizzy;
- You like to make straightforward choices ('double en-suite with balcony', rather than 'lamp-stand blue/purple 117', which will incidentally put you in the 'Infinite Pleasure' room);
- If you simply don't get on well with technology (if you can't get the iPhone to work, you're better-off in the local Holiday Inn than sleeping in a lobby bombarding you with images of fellow guests' faces...)
Price: From 316 Euros a night
For more information: Blow Up 50 50 website
Sasha Arms - After graduating from university with a degree in Geography, Sasha became Managing Editor and Travel Editor of Futurespace Magazine. She ...
