Ryugyong Hotel — The world's biggest ruin

The construction of the 330 m tall tower in Pyongyang, North Korea began in 1987. It has a total 360,000 m² (3.9 million ft²) floor space and 105 stories. The building should have been opened in 1989, by that time it could have been the tallest hotel in the world and the 7th largest skyscraper. North Korea have spent ~$750 million or 2% of the country's GDP on the Ryugyong Hotel. The hotel was designed to have 3,000 rooms, 7 revolving restaurants, casinos(!), nightclubs(!) and Japanese lounges. In 1989 -the original completion date- they had several construction method and material problems therefore the opening was delayed, but in 1992 the construction came to a complete halt due to funding problems, electricity shortages, and the prevailing famine.

2008 Update: After 16 years Ryugyong Hotel is starting to get back to life. Egypt's Orascom group has recently begun refurbishing the top floors of the tower. The company has put glass panels into the concrete shell and installed telecommunications antennas. South Korean estimations say that it would cost $2 billion to finish the hotel and make it safe, that is the same as 10% annual GDP of North Korea.

In April 2008 Orascom group has started refurbishing the Ryugyong Tower, starting with the top floors. In late 2008 the work on cladding has been the main focus of construction. Works on the tower will be finished by 2012, the year of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, ex leader of North Korea. Orascom claimed that the main goal would mean to make the tower more attractive. Hopefully it does not mean finishing the cladding, yet the structure would be left unhabitable.  The Dubai based Emaar Properties developer company showed their interest in the construction of Ryugyong Hotel Tower. Emaar is one of the largest developer firms in the world and they are known for building the world's tallest tower, the Burj Dubai.

In 2006 the hotel was still not finished (it had reached its full structural height though) and left alone with a crane on the top. The building is completely empty, there is no facade on the tower either. The Ryugyong Hotel with the current structure will never be opened. The Government of North Korea was trying to find new investors to build a new structure, they would need ~$300 million for this. The tower is still by far the tallest in Pyongyang (the capital city) and in the whole of North Korea.

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V8 Hotel for Car Fans

01. In total, the hotel offers 34 rooms.

In the German city of Stuttgart is one of the most unusual hotels in the world. Its interior uses a large number of cars. A culmination of this car is a disgrace bed, retro-styled car.

02. By the way, in fact, the bed is not stylized retro-cars. Here, rather, the opposite. Old cars were converted into comfortable beds.

03. The interior of the hotel hints on roads and cars. Tables of engine or toilet with wheel motorcycle - the perfect solution.

04. V8 itself is on the site of the former airfield, which lasted about 30 years and was destroyed in 1945 by the Allies.

05. Next to the hotel is a museum of cars «Meilenwerk».

06. The cost of one room per day ranges from 100 to 300 euros.

Marina Bay Sands - The world’s most expensive hotel

Fantastic Hotel Marina Bay Sands is the world’s most expensive hotel, it’s boat-shaped ‘SkyPark’ perched atop the three 55 storey towers. This three towers are connected with a one hectare roof sky park offering 360-degree views of Singapore’s skyline and featuring beautifully sculptured gardens, restaurants and a swimming pool.

The SkyPark will be home to the world’s longest elevated swimming pool, with a 475-foot vanishing edge, perched 200 meters above the ground. While the water in the infinity pool seems to end in a sheer drop, it actually spills into a catchment area where it is pumped back into the main pool. At three times the length of an Olympic pool and 650ft up, it is the largest outdoor pool in the world at that height.

10 of the Most Expensive Hotel Rooms in the World

10 of the Most Expensive Hotel Rooms in the World

Most of us have simple demands when it comes to travel lodging– a bed, a bathroom, a TV and wi-fi. There are others, however, whose demands far eclipse the simple convenience of your basic hotel room. When the world’s most wealthy travelers take a vacation for their own, they are treated to suites that cover entire floors of a hotel building, rooms that include a personal butler, hell– some even come with their own private helicopter. Take a peek into the experience of the world’s most wealthy travelers. Here are 10 of the most expensive hotel rooms in the world.

1. $50,000 a night – Royal Villa at Grand Resort Lagonissi

Athens, Greece

The Grand Resort’s Royal Villa gives the world’s most exclusive guests a private version of everything imaginable. The only other people lucky guests have to see while secluded in their heated pool, steam room or private beach is the suite’s dedicated butler, chef and pianist.

2. $40,000 a night – Hugh Hefner Sky Villa, Palms Casino Resort

Las Vegas

Hugh Hefner’s Playboy-themed suite at the Palms Casino resort has a $700,000 jacuzzi that cantilevers out above the Las Vegas strip. The 10,000 square-foot, two-story suite comes with around-the-clock butler service and a rotating bed set beneath a mirrored ceiling.

3. $34,000 a night – Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons

New York

The Ty Warner Penthouse practically floats in Manhattan. Floor-to-ceiling windows surround all sides of the massive suite, surrounding guests in 360-degree views of the city skyline from atop Manhattan’s tallest hotel. The nine-room suite has walls inlayed with mother of pearl, gold and platinum-woven fabrics, and the room itself includes a private butler, unlimited global calling and TVs programmed to receive every channel in the entire world.

4. $33,000 a night – Royal Penthouse Suite, President Wilson Hotel

Geneva, Switzerland

President Woodrow Wilson reportedly suffered from high blood pressure, so it’s safe to assume he would have appreciated a stress-free stay at President Wilson Hotel’s Royal Penthouse Suite. Consuming the entire top floor of the hotel, the four-bedroom suite can hold up to 40 guests in its cocktail lounge and is said to be the best digs for heads of state wanting to make an impression when they’re in town on United Nations business.

5. $25,000 a night – Bridge Suite at The Atlantis

Paradise Island, Bahamas

The 10-room Bridge Suite at Bahamian resort The Atlantis fills the entire space linking the hotel complex’s two flagship towers. Forbes reports the suite has hosted guests including Oprah and Michael Jackson.

6. $18,200 – Ritz-Carlton Suite, The Ritz-Carlton

Moscow, Russia

Floor-to-ceiling windows outline the Ritz-Carlton Suite at the hotel chain’s Moscow location. Imperial furniture fills the 2,500 square-foot suite, which comes with a heated floor, a grand piano and a library. The suite has views of the Kremlin, Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral and visitors get to enjoy five meals a day and their very own KGB-approved autonomous energy supply system and secure telecommunications array.

7. $18,000 a night – Royal Suite, Burj Al Arab

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A two-story suite that centers around an epic staircase, Burj Al Arab’s Royal Suite has Carrara marble floors, mahogany furniture and a master bedroom with a rotating four-post canopy bed. Guests enjoy Hermes bathroom products, Faubourg fragrances, their own private elevator and cinema and for a bit extra– a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce or helicopter.

8. $17,500 a night – Royal Armleder Suite, Le Richemond

Geneva, Switzerland

Le Richemond’s Royal Armleder Suite reopened in 2007 after an extensive restoration of the hotel’s seventh floor, which the luxury suite occupies the entirety of. The suite is bedecked in gold, mosaics and parquet floors and has a 300 square-foot terrace with stunning views of Geneva and the nearby Alps.

9. $16,000 a night – Royal Suite, Four Seasons George V

Paris, France

The George V in Paris boasts a pair of “sumptuous” Royal Suites that each come with private terraces and rooms filled with antique furniture. Each suite has a marble entrance, a full kitchen, a sauna and a separate bathroom for guests. The expensive 2,600 square-foot suites are split into separate spaces for sleeping and entertaining, both of which also have a private office.

10. $15,500 a night – Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt-Vendôme

Paris, France

Situated on the second floor of the Park Hyatt-Vendôme’s Haussmanian building is the hotel’s 750 square-foot Imperial Suite. Thise pricey suite has high ceilings, a dining room, kitchenette and bar. When visitors tire of toiling, they relax with an “In Suite Spa” that comes outfitted with a steam room, Whirlpool and built-in massage table.

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World's Tallest Hotels – Top 10 List

This is the most recent and factual list of the world's tallest hotels. Prepared by Emporis, the world's leading company for building data, the ranking includes 100 tallest buildings intended for hotel use. Here's the tip of the overview - world's highest hotels and their locations.

10.Swissôtel The Stamford. Singapore.
Height: 226 m (741 ft). 73 floors.
Touching the sky,  Swissôtel The Stamford is the highest hotel in Southern Asia and the seventh tallest skyscraper in Singapore. The complex was opened in 1986 - when completed, it was the tallest hotel on the globe. It was renovated in 2001 and currently offers 1,263 rooms.

 
9. JR Central Hotel Tower. Nagoya. Japan.
Height: 226 m (741 ft). 53 floors
Nagoya, the fourth most populous city in Japan, is home to a gigantic JR Central Towers complex. The structure houses a department store, office space and a hotel. The two towers are based on a 20-storey podium that looks like a gateway to the city. This unique entrance has become the city's remarkable icon. The hotel, located in one of the towers, was completed in 2000.
According to Emporis, Oasis Skyway Garden Hotel in Shanghai is also  226 m (742 ft) high and therefore, it shares the ninth place on the list with the Nagoya's complex.

8. Lanko•Grand Hyatt Hotel. Chongqing. China
Height: 258 m (846 ft). 60 floors.
Lanko Grand Hyatt Hotel (unfortunately, no picture available) is the second tallest building in Western China. Its construction was completed in 2004. The hotel is located in Chongqing, largest and most populated municipality in China. The city is one of the fastest developing regions in the country - it has been heavily investing in the construction industry and infrastructure.

7. Grand Lisboa. Macao. China.
Height: 261 m (856 ft). 47 floors.
Shiny Grand Lisboa Hotel, opened in December 2008, towers above Macau, the special administrative region in China. The complex's design is quite "unique" - it resembles the lotus flower, which is the symbol of Macau, although some say it looks more like a Pokemon than a building. Anyway, the hotel was designed by DLN Architects & Engineers, one of the most famous Hong Kong architectural studio.

6. The Cullinan I. Hong Kong. China.
Height: 270 m (886 ft) 68 floors.
The Cullinan I, also called the Cullinan North Tower, is Hong Kong's tallest residential tower. The hotel is part of a complex called the Cullinan (named after the largest diamond in the world). The construction was developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties and it was completed in 2008.

5. Baiyoke Tower II. Bangkok. Thailand
Height: 304 m (997 ft). 85 floors
Baiyoke Tower II, located in the Central Business District of Bangkok, is Thailand's tallest building. Completed in 1997, it is also the highest hotel in the region of Southeast Asia. The 84th floor houses a 360-degree revolving roof deck, open daily from 10.30 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. Baiyoke, as the country's tallest building, will soon be surpassed by the Ocean One Tower (367 m high) that is scheduled to be completed in 2012.

4. Jumeirah Emirates Towers .Dubai. United Arab Emirates
Height: 309 m (1,014 ft). 56 floors
Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel is an exclusive business hotel that includes 40 luxury suites, accounting for exactly 10% of the complex's all rooms. The hotel is located in the heart of the city of Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and it is connected with Emirates Office Tower, which is slightly higher than the hotel, boasting the height of 350 m. Both buildings are connected by a podium that houses the Boulevard shopping gallery.

3. Burj Al Arab. Dubai. United Arab Emirates
Height: 321 m (1,053 ft). 60 floors.
Burj Al Arab is one of Dubai's most famous buildings and the country's national landmark. The hotel's unique design resembles the shape of an Arabian sailing ship. The complex stands on an artificial island and is connected to the mainland by means of a private bridge. The hotel is an ultra exclusive complex. It houses eight restaurants (one of them is located 200 m above the Persian Gulf), two-storey suites equipped with Jacuzzi in every bathroom and plasma screens, as well as reception desk on every floor. The cost of the investments is estimated at US$ 650m.

2. Ryugyong Hotel. Pyongyang. North Korea.
Height: 330 m (1,083 ft). 105 floors.
Ryugyong Hotel, located in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, is the country tallest building. The construction of the complex began in 1987 and was stopped in 1992 because of the government's financial troubles. The construction was inactive for 16 years, but it has been restarted in April 2008. Ryugyong is the first complex outside New York and Chicago with more than 100 floors.
1. Rose Tower. Dubai. United Arab Emirates.
Height: 333 m (1,093 ft). 72 floors.
Dubai is definitely a leading destination in terms of world's tallest hotels. Next to Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, ranking 3rd and 4th on the list respectively, it houses the Rose Tower, the world's tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. The construction of the complex commenced in 2004 and was finished in 2007. The official opening of the hotel is scheduled for December 2009.
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