Holiday Destinations

Poseidon Resorts completes underwater hotel design

Poseidon Resorts completes underwater hotel design
The walls will be made of transparent acrylic to guarantee visibility to underwater vistas
The walls will be made of transparent acrylic to guarantee visibility to underwater vistas
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Guests will be required to stay a minimum of one week at the cost of US$30,000 per couple
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Guests will be required to stay a minimum of one week at the cost of US$30,000 per couple
The project is nspired by underwater research habitats such as Jacques Cousteau's Conshelf I from 1962
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The project is nspired by underwater research habitats such as Jacques Cousteau's Conshelf I from 1962
One of the underwater units will feature a library-cum-lounge
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One of the underwater units will feature a library-cum-lounge
Poseidon Undersea Resorts is the first of its kind, the company behind it says
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Poseidon Undersea Resorts is the first of its kind, the company behind it says
The walls will be made of transparent acrylic to guarantee visibility to underwater vistas
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The walls will be made of transparent acrylic to guarantee visibility to underwater vistas
The undersea unit will comprise 24 suites 550 ft2 (50 m2) in size
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The undersea unit will comprise 24 suites 550 ft2 (50 m2) in size
Guests will spend two days in the underwater unit and another four days on conventional bungalows on the beach
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Guests will spend two days in the underwater unit and another four days on conventional bungalows on the beach
The resort will offer all the amenities of conventional hotels, such as spa, golf course, and diving center
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The resort will offer all the amenities of conventional hotels, such as spa, golf course, and diving center
A small submarine will be available for guests to travel in the 5,000 acre lagoon
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A small submarine will be available for guests to travel in the 5,000 acre lagoon
Poseidon Resorts intends to build an underwater hotel on a private Fiji island
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Poseidon Resorts intends to build an underwater hotel on a private Fiji island
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The buzz around Poseidon Undersea Resorts has been around for a few years now (c.f. our 2007 report on the conceptually-similar Hydropolis in Dubai). Poseidon Resorts has announced that it has completed the design and engineering of structural works, indicating that the sci fi-esque undersea project is closer to getting off the ground, or better, into a lagoon on a private island in Fiji. The company is now working to secure capital for construction, which should take two years to complete, it says.

Developed by L. Bruce Jones, Poseidon Resorts’ President with a background in submarine sea technology, the project is not as epic as Hydropolis or the Shimao Wonderland in Shanghai, but it’s bold in its vision, inspired by underwater research habitats such as Jacques Cousteau's Conshelf I from 1962. Located 40 feet (12 m) underwater, it will be connected to land by two piers with elevators to enter and exit each of the two units. One of them comprises 24 suites 550 ft2 (50 m2) in size, besides a restaurant and bar. Visibility to the subaquatic vistas is guaranteed by transparent acrylic plastic. The other unit will include a lounge-cum-library, a spa, a larger 1,100 ft2 (102 m2) suite, a conference room, wedding chapel and theater area.

The on-island complex will feature a total of 51 units, including 24 beach and 26 over-water bungalows, plus a land-based presidential suite for VIP guests. Add to that the usual facilities such as reception, restaurants, bars, swimming pools and tennis courts besides other activities and support buildings.

To the ecologically conscious, the location of the project may raise the alarm over its environmental impact. Poseidon Resorts mentions a few initiatives related to coral reef preservation and educational outreach with guests, including a coral farm. However, there's no mention of sustainable waste disposal and energy generation, for example.

The Poseidon Underwater Experience will set visitors back a cool US$30,000 per week, which is the required minimum stay. This includes air transportation from and to Nadi or Suva on the company’s airplanes, four nights on beach accommodations and two nights in underwater suites. Guests will also be treated to a 16-passenger submarine expedition outside the lagoon, and will get the chance to pilot one of four 3-passenger personal submarines in the 5,000 acre lagoon (20 km2), besides several other activities.

Source: Poseidon Resorts

View gallery - 19 images
6 comments
6 comments
jerryd
Has anyone done the math on these? For instance just the small 550sq' unit would have to weigh 250k lbs each just not to pop up to the surface not including the space the weight takes up so another 100k lbs or so for that.
There is a reason submarines arte so tight on space and have massive lead batteries just to allow them to submerge.
Bryan Paschke
Sounds like fun...don't think I'll ever be able to afford it (or justify it if I can), but sounds like fun.
kalqlate
@jerryd - Notice that all the units are attached to an anchored backbone, and notice that each unit is anchored to the bottom. With strong and properly designed (thin entry, flat underground) anchors, the tremendous weight of the dirt and water, the physics of anchoring, and the attachment to the anchored backbone will eliminate such weight concerns and allow the units to be relatively lightweight.
Sqidge
Hmmm
I wonder how many times the growths on the outside of the acrylic will be able to be scrubbed off, until it's tranparency is reduced to such a degree that the pointlessness of the project becomes overwelming.
So many tropical island fantasies. So many dead dollars already.
(Mind you, for the first couple of years it would be *fabulous to stay in.)
SixGunSaint
Jerryd: Well-done, Newton Jr., you've exposed their big secret. Poseidon has dumped millions of investors' dollars into a spectacular undertaking without 'doing any of the math'.
Maybe it's all a big prank, and they're going to pocket the $30,000 from their first reservation, and wait on shore with binoculars to watch their unsuspecting victims descend to the ocean floor, only to shoot back up to the surface like ping pong balls, as one pod-room at a time breaks free of the anchors. Hopefully they'll put it on youtube.
Stephen N Russell
Replicate hotel for: Hawaii, Caribbean, off Australia, Mexico, Med Sea, Java, Fiji, Cuba,
'Awesome.