Underground hotel in China

Photo rendering courtesy of SHANGHAI SHIMAO PROPERTY GROUP/ ATKINS 

While China has been leading the trend in skyscrapers for the past decade, architects and designers apparently decided to turn things upside-down for a change. According to CNN, China recently broke ground on the first luxury underground hotel near Shanghai.

Located at the foot of a 100-meter (approximately 328 feet) abandoned quarry at Shanghai’s Tianmashan, the 380-room resort will have three levels above ground and 16 underground, and will also offer spa services, a sports facility and an underwater restaurant.

The property is being developed by Shanghai Shimao Property Group and designed by U.K. based engineering firm Atkins. According to SmartPlanet, the underground hotel is part of the larger project to build Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, a large-scale theme park. Reports say the hotel is expected to open in 2014 or 2015.

Just how much will this underground wonderland cost? If you're intrigued, industry experts say the nightly room rates will start at around $320 a night (RMB 2,000).

The hotel, The Intercontinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, will be managed by InterContinental Hotels Group (Photo: Shanghai Shimao Property Group/ Atkins)

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Amazing Places to Visit

Thanks to the talent of designers, architects, and amazing inspiring place to visit a man indifferent to the beautiful and thirsty for new experiences.

The world is huge and amazingly beautiful. It seems the whole life is not enough to live to see all of its beauty. It will not hurt to sketch a rough plan of inspiring trips and excursions, committing to boil head with new ideas and thoughts. Start with the most beautiful places on the planet . And watch review unusual hotels, shocking rides, historical wonders and other good works of creative hands and minds of men.

Underwater Restaurant

Hotel Conrad Maldives Rangali Island offers underwater apartments and a restaurant.

Hotel-Needle

Transparent roof rooms Kakslauttanen in Finland can enjoy Northern Lights, basking in the bed.

Flower Park

Tunnel of wisteria flowers in a Japanese garden Kawachi Fuji, Kitakyushu, Japan

Ice Aquarium

In the Japanese city of Kesennuma in ice blocks frozen 80 species of marine creatures.

Restaurant in a Cave

Located in the Italian town of Polignano a Mare on site Grotta Palazzese.

Castle Garden Markizyak

Located in the French city Vezak and built up over three centuries.

Hotel underground

Hotel Sala Silvermine Hotel in Sweden is located in the former mine at a depth of 155 meters.

The Restaurant at the Falls

Located in the resort of Villa Escudero in the province of Quezon, Philippines.

The lost city of Machu Picchu

Located in what is now Peru on top of the ridge height of 2450 meters above sea level. Awarded the New Wonder of the World.

Skyscraper in Huaxi village

Chinese village residents pool their savings to build a hotel in the 328 meters tall and valued at $ 470 million.

Snow Hotel

Every winter in Finland, the Alps and the Pyrenees erect a snow winter resort for lovers of extreme tourism.

Pool Waterfall

The natural pool deck of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe is at a height of 128 meters.

Viewpoint

Glass balconies 103-story skyscraper Willis Tower in Chicago.

Rides on site plant

Wunderland Kalkar park is located in the unfinished nuclear power plant in the German town of Kalkar. The main attraction is located in the central tube.

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.