Looks like floating hotels could become the latest trend in travel. The hip Hôtel Off Paris Seine is already bobbing in that river near the Pont Charles de Gaulle. And now an amusement park in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture has announced plans for a floating hotel that can be towed by boat.
Located in an up-and-coming industrial neighborhood of Paris, the two-story Hôtel Off features a stylish, wood-and-copper design scheme, 54 rooms similar to berths on a ship, four larger suites, a bar, a restaurant, and a pool that's already popular with trendy locals.
The designers took an inside-outside approach that capitalizes on the hotel's unique setting, offering numerous decks, terraces, and balconies for enjoying views of the city from the Seine.
Room rates at the only floating hotel in France start at 180 euros a night.
In Japan, meanwhile, officials at a Dutch-themed amusement park called Huis Ten Bosch—which opened a robot-staffed hotel last summer—say they're now creating a floating hotel in Omura Bay.
Guest rooms will be contained in spheres measuring about 21 feet in diameter, and the hotel will be towed by a boat between the theme park and an uninhabited island in the bay. From your room, you'll be able to take in underwater views while en route.
Construction on the project is expected to get started in 2017.
