Will This Amazing Underwater Hotel Actually Happen in Florida?
In the near future, could we be staying in a deep-sea hotel leagues below the surface? The developers behind Planet Ocean Underwater Hotel certainly hope so. The Florida-based project aims to become the first “self-contained affordable mini-luxury underwater hotel” in the world.
Underwater hotels are nothing new. In Key Largo, Florida, a converted underwater research facility 21 feet below the water’s surface, the Jules Undersea Lodge, offers a unique ecotourism opportunity. The Hydropolis in Dubai is currently under construction and is an estimated $550 million luxury resort situated 66 feet below the surface. The difference between these projects and the Planet Ocean Underwater Hotel is affordability and feasible architectural design.
The concept behind the Planet Ocean Underwater Hotel is that prefabricated parts are used to create the modular design. All sections of the hotel would be made in a factory before being transported and installed at the construction site. The primary exterior structure would be manufactured from extra thick steel and sheets of transparent plastic. According to the hotel’s developers, this process would cut construction costs from $11 million per room for similar projects to $1.7 million. Nightly room rates for the Planet Ocean Underwater Hotel would fall in the $3,000 to $6,000 range.
Another way that the Planet Ocean Underwater Hotel plans to differentiate itself from competitors is that the structure will be mobile. Guests will take an elevator to the initial deployment point of 28 feet below the water’s surface. In the case of a hurricane or other severe weather, the hotel will be able to move via electromagnetic propulsion. Guests will stay in one of the 18 x 12 foot rooms during their visit. Each of the 12 rooms on the structure will come outfitted with standard hotel amenities, such as a mini-fridge, high-definition televisions, online access, king-sized beds, and showers.
In September of 2015, the hotel became one step closer to reaching their goals. Through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, they received a patent on #D736947. This design patent allows for the expansion on an international level of underwater hotels with the inclusion of workable elevators. The steel and plastic panels newly invented by the hotel received protection as well through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The design allows for quick disassembly and assembly of the materials in order to make transportation and construction of the underwater pods feasible.
The hotel is currently still in the planning stages and interested guests can fill out an inquiry form online to be notified when reservations are being accepted. The goal of the hotel is to provide a safe, fun tourism experience with a portion of the profits of the projects being used for coral reef restoration.