Hotels

For the general public, the concept of space tourism continues to be an exciting dream. The first stage of space tourism would consist of very simple low-Earth orbit treks: tourists would orbit Earth several times on a spaceship and then return to the planet in a one-day tour. Even these short tours would be sufficiently adventurous to attract many civilian space travelers in the near future.

The next phase of orbital tourism would consist of "space stays" of one or two nights. If people could reside in space for two or three days, public travel above Earth would be much more enjoyable. Space tourists would then be able to watch Earth, the Moon, and the stars for long periods. It would be possible to produce many interesting materials in microgravity , some of which would be very valuable souvenirs from space. Also, it would be possible for tourists to have many kinds of interesting physical experiences in microgravity.

For people to stay in space for two or three days, "space cottages" would be essential. Those cottages would be small but would have to have minimum habitation systems for hygiene, dining, and sleeping, among other functions. One interesting proposal is the use of the habitation module of the International Space Station to provide room for space tourists after the station's formal planned mission has ended.

Eventually larger space hotels that would have many more functions for enjoying hotel life like those found in terrestrial resorts would be constructed. The accompanying picture shows an example of a space hotel of the future designed by Shimizu Corporation more than ten years ago.

The space hotel shown above has sixty-four guest rooms and a microgravity hall. All of the guest rooms are located on a circle with a radius of 70 meters (230 feet) that rotates three times a minute to produce 0.7 G artificial gravity. Therefore, in a guest room a hotel guest could stand, walk, and sleep normally. The figure on page 51 shows the interior design of a guest room. In the microgravity hall a guest could enjoy an environment in which it is possible to eat, drink, and play. In the future, space resorts will inspire the creation of many appealing microgravity games.

see also Habitats (volume 3); Living in Space (volume 3); Space Tourism, Evolution of (volume 4); Tourism (volume 1).

Shinji Matsumoto

Internet Resources

"Space Tourism."Texas Aerospace Scholars. NASA.<http://aerospacescholars.org/Cirr/Em/l8/Tourism.htm>.

Hotels

CAESARS WORLD, INC.

CIRCUS CIRCUS ENTERPRISES, INC.

CLUB MÉDITERRANÉE SA

MIRAGE RESORTS, INC.

hotels are largely a 19th-cent. development. Until the railway age, travellers stayed mainly at inns and those who visited seaside resorts rented rooms or houses. What hotels existed were small family businesses. But the advantages of a hotel attached to a railway station were obvious and the London and Birmingham railway built one at its Euston terminus in 1839. The Great Western hotel at Paddington in 1852 was on a much grander scale and the Midland railway's hotel at St Pancras in 1873 bigger still. Rail travel also opened up the seaside resorts: Scarborough's Grand hotel was built in 1867. The first large London hotel not owned by a railway was the Westminster Palace hotel in 1860. There followed a period of intense competition, hotels competing with distinguished chefs, palm courts, turkish baths, and smart liveried staff. The Grand hotel in Northumberland Avenue in 1881 allowed non-residents to dine. The Savoy was built in 1903–4, the Ritz 1903–6, the Hotel Russell 1907–11, the Dorchester 1930. Post-Second World War hotels have clustered round airports and motorways, and the elaborate dining-rooms have given way to conference suites. Railway hotels are for connoisseurs of departed grandeur.

J. A. Cannon

Hotels

HILTON HOTELS CORPORATION

HOLIDAY INNS, INC.

HYATT CORPORATION

ITT SHERATON CORPORATION

MARRIOTT CORPORATION

TRUSTHOUSE FORTE PLC