7 Futuristic Concept Hotel Designs That Should Be Real

From $500 million underwater resorts to hotels that can literally grow themselves, these futuristic concept designs are so wacky and weird that they’ll probably never be constructed. But at least they’ll make you appreciate the classic luxury of your next real-life hotel stay!

Dubai’s first luxury underwater hotel was supposed to be the most expensive hotel ever built, costing around $500 million. It’ll be situated 20 m (66 ft) below the surface of the Persian Gulf, just of Jumeira Beach, and will contain a land station, an underwater tunnel and a submarine leisure complex with 220 suites. The entire complex will cover 260 hectares (about the size of Hyde Park), making it one of the largest contemporary construction projects ever. Construction was scheduled for 2006, but it has yet to be started.

The Apeiron Hotel is a jungle-themed design concept for a 7-star hotel in Dubai, only the second hotel ever to receive that high of a rating. The complex will be located 300-500 m off the coast of Dubai and will only be accessible by boat or helicopter. Along with 350 luxury apartment suites, the complex will contain a butterfly/insect jungle, an art gallery, a cinema, conference facilities, shops, private lagoons, underwater restaurants and an underwater spa and gym. Development of this amazing resort hasn’t gotten underway yet.

This stunning creation won first prize in an international design competition! Constructed within the natural elements of a quarry in Songjiang, China, the resort features underwater public areas and guestrooms as well as restaurants, cafes and conference facilities for up to 1000 people. A cantilevered extreme sports centre that can only be accessed by special lifts will provide plenty of opportunities for rock climbing and bungee jumping, while the lowest level will contain a leisure complex for swimming and other water sports.

This gleaming, futuristic concept hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan takes a little inspiration from Star Wars, and a little from the moon. The two structures are officially named Hotel Full Moon and Hotel Crescent, and contain 382 rooms spread over 104,182 square metres. The coolest part of this design is that its appearance changes drastically depending on the viewer’s location. When viewed from above, the Hotel Full Moon resembles the Death Star!

This is the only hotel design that could potentially house and feed you! It’s a “parametric-designed eco-hotel and vertical farm,” which means it has plant material growing inside its structure and literally “grows” by grafting organic material around the base of the structure’s frame. Designed for busy San Juan, Puerto Rico, the building could provide water, food and entire neighbourhood, not to mention the hotel rooms and apartments built into the structure itself.

Alexander Asadov's modern aquatecture marvel, Aerohotel, is an alternative to the many man-made islands that dot the waters of Dubai. The 650 foot wide circular playground will be 200 feet above the water, and will only be supported by three environmentally-friendly supports. In addition to a hotel, the structure’s body will contain restaurants, cafes, shops and a hanging garden.

Helix is the winning design in an international competition for a five-star luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi. Its staggered, spiralling floor plates constantly shift in width and pitch, doing away with conventional hotel layouts. In addition to the 206 guest rooms, there are lounges, restaurants, meetings rooms, conference facilities, health clubs, spas and pools, plus an indoor waterfall that keeps the temperature down by filtering cool water throughout the hotel.