What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 18 Feb 2013

Welcome to another week!

We’re no stranger to hotels here at Cloud 9 Towers and despite the vast numbers of hotel venues we have used or stayed in, its clear that the UK market is missing something……something a little different.

Although we offer a free venue finding service, we think we would need some very special clients with specific tastes before suggesting any of the following....

In less than three months, North American LEGO fanatics will be able to book a stay at the continent’s first LEGO hotel. The finishing touches are being put on the fantasy-inspired Legoland Hotel in Carlsbad, California—while the hotel itself is not constructed of tiny plastic bricks, the bright, color-blocked façade will certainly bring to mind everyone’s favourite childhood toy. The hotel opens its doors on 5 April 2013 and has numerous themed rooms planned throughout. 

 These stunning glass houses may still just be a concept design, but there is a great alternative that will also allow you to immerse yourself in nature—these clear “bubble” tents by the Attrap’Rêves Bubble Hotel.

If you think that sleeping in a tent means roughing it out, you cannot be more wrong—each of these pretty bubble tents is 13 feet in diameter, and comes with luxurious comforts like a queen-sized bed, a telescope for star-gazing, and even an adjoining bubble bathroom.The hotel currently has location networks in Bouches-du-Rhone and Loir-et-Cher, France; its rooms can be set up in a variety of outdoor settings—from a pine forest to hilly wine country—and are suitable for use throughout the year. If you are looking to get as close to nature as possible but will prefer not to give up the modern conveniences of the city, a stay at this bubble hotel will be just the thing for you.  The only thing we suggest here is a good pair of PJ's and no modesty!

Beijing-based architectural firm PLaT Architects is building a hotel in the middle of the Gobi Desert—in Inner Mongolia—that is designed to work like a ship floating on the sand.
The Xiangshawan Desert Lotus Hotel is constructed without the use of concrete or water—it features a new structural system that fix in the fluid sand and load-bearing walls that take the load off the base of the building.
The architects have taken care to use local materials in interior design so as to give guests a true experience of the desert—for instance, the wall covering is made from the surrounding sand.  The Lotus Hotel is located in Xiangshawan Desert, 800 kilometers west to Beijing and middle of Ordos and Baotou. The site is facing Hantai River, a branch of Yellow River, and east to Kubuqi Desert that more than 200 kilometers wide. 

The form of Lotus Hotel not only blends in the desert, but also exhibits a power of the environment and itself. Architects used the traditional Chinese idea of “Zhen”, which is, in simple words, the art of repeating same elements. Rotation of squares in a same angle creates triangles in the process, and made the form stronger. In consideration of structure, shading and wind, architects integrated function, form and landscape, resulting in a form of lotus.

 

Belgium-based hospitality company Sleeping Around has rolled out a refreshing new hotel experience with their pop-up shipping container hotel that is constantly moving around. Packing luxurious rooms into compact 20-feet tall shipping containers, their rooms come complete with high quality linen, a walk-in shower and air-conditioning.

This unique hotel can crop up just about anywhere—such as on a busy street or in a park; it is currently located on riverfront in Antwerp but will soon be moving to another location. As it has no fixed address, guests are required to locate their rooms by GPS—this element of surprise is a key part of the hotel’s appeal. You may even submit new locations suggestions for the hotel to move to on its website. 

 

Now if budget is no object, how about An Orbiting Hotel Aboard A Space Station, For Space Vacationers.... Commercial space travel looks set to become a reality—first with a shuttle service to the moon and now, a hotel housed in a commercial space station.
Promising a truly out-of-the-world experience, Russian company Orbital Technologies plans to develop a commercial space station that would serve as an orbiting hotel, 217 miles from the surface of Earth. As can be expected, a space vacation like this will not come cheap—a ticket to the space station will set travelers back US$80,000, and another US$160,000 is chargeable for five days of accommodation.
Designed for comfort and leisure, the hotel comes with an experience space crew and will be serving up gourmet food instead of the bland food tubes astronauts traditionally eat—it is even equipped with windows, cameras and binoculars to allow guests to take in the breath-taking view!

Add this to your bucket list, beer-lovers—a hotel in Ostbevern, Germany, in collaboration with a regional brewery, has created a room where guests can snuggle up in a vintage 19th-century beer barrel.

The barrel was actually in use until 1995, when it was converted into a unconventional bed that would comfortably sleep two.

There are a total of three such beer rooms, so gather up a few of your beer-guzzling friends and make a booking for this unique experience here. 

As you can see, we are missing some of these unusual experiences here in the UK so maybe there is a chance for someone to do something very different!

In other news this week, its time for us to remind you of some key dates for 2013 and some of the fabulous events we are involved with....

1st March: The Fresh Awards opens for entries

13th June: The Midlands Media Awards

19th June: The CIPR Northern Conference

25th September: Freshtival 2013 begins

We've lots of other exciting event news coming soon!

Have a great week..