1st hotel in space to open in 2012

The Galactic Suite, the first hotel in space, will open for business in 2012, its Barcelona-based architects said.

Reservations for the Galactic Suite will begin in 2008, company director Xavier Claramunt said here.

“The Galactic suite will allow clients to travel around the world in 80 minutes,” Claramunt said.

It will be made of aluminum and have five modules. The three boutique rooms will be decorated with mini components because of a lack of room and due to the fact that objects float in space because of the absence of gravity, Claramunt added.

“The greatest challenge will be the bathrooms with zero gravity. Accommodating the clients’ intimate activities is not easy. To take a shower in zero gravity, the guests will enter the spa in which water bubbles will float,” he added.

The space hotel will be the most expensive in the galaxy, costing three million euros ($3.99 million) for a three-day stay, during which guests would see the sun rise 15 times a day, its architects said.