“Getting away from it all” can get a whole new meaning come 2022. The Russian space agency has plans to build a luxury hotel at the International Space Station (ISS).
Luxury five-star hotel which will cost between 16.4 and 26.2 billion rubles (£210 and £336 million) will feature four private sleeping cabins, as well as “hygiene and medical” stations, a lounge area, and exercise equipment.
Since the hotel will float 250 miles above Earth, the suite will also have airplane-like windows, with nine-inch diameter portholes in private rooms and larger, 16-inch ones in the communal lounge area.
Also, travelers will be able to take spacewalks guided by a professional cosmonaut, and will even be able to use Wi-Fi onboard.
The Russian agency responsible for the project has estimated that by 2021, there will be at least 43,000 people around the world with a personal fortune of more than $30 million. It’s betting that if even a small percentage of this group chooses to spend their money on a trip to space, the hotel will be successful.
Bearing this in mind, it seems that the price is justified in some way. The entire trip, lasting from one to two weeks will cost $40 million per person, but the hotel will also offer a month-long extended-stay package which includes a stroll outside the ISS. It will cost an additional $20 million. Really affordable.