For the traveller who really and truly wants to get away from it all, a new kind of hotel could just offer the perfect solution.
The world’s very first space hotel is slated to open in 2027.
Named the Voyager Class space station, the hotel will be able to hold up to 400 guests.
But those guests won’t be slumming it – alongside bedrooms, there will be bars, restaurants and even a gym according to plans for the ambitious project.
Orbital Assembly Corporation (OAC) is the company behind the idea, and has announced that construction on the Voyager Class will begin in 2025.
“The station will be designed from the start to accommodate both national space agencies conducting low gravity research and space tourists who want to experience life on a large space station with the comfort of low gravity and the feel of a nice hotel,” according to the OAC website.
The general structure of the space station will be two concentric rings, with the inner one a dedicated docking hub, and the outer ring “the backbone of the station”, providing “mounting for habitable modules, solar panels, radiators, and a rail transport system”.
Pods attached to the outer ring will serve different functions: some could be sold to Nasa for research and training purposes, while others will provide accommodation for tourists or be used for other onsite hotel amenities.
The rotating space station will also be designed to “produce varying levels of artificial gravity by increasing or decreasing the rate of rotation”.
For less adventurous tourists still keen to sample a taste of the future, MSC Cruises announced that its new flagship vessel, launching later this year, will feature a “humanoid” robot bartender.
Named, rather appropriately, Rob, the barman will be part of the crew onboard the MSC Virtuosa.
Rob will be ensconced behind the ship’s “futuristic” bar, on hand to “mix and serve his signature cocktails, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and countless personalised drinks, just like a human bartender would do, whilst engaging the guests with his voice, human-like expressions for a fully immersive bar experience,” according to the cruise line.
The presence of a robot is in keeping with the aesthetic of the bar, named the MSC Starship Club.
Inspired by a “spaceship of the future”, the lounge will also feature 3D holograms, a digital art wall and an infinity digital interactive table.
The Independent
