Lunar Hilton
The Lunar Hilton is a proposed hotel on the Moon, which would be operated by the
1950s through 1970s
The first rumors of a Lunar Hilton began with an August 1958 event at the
According to Mark Young, curator of the Conrad Hilton archive at the
On May 2 Barron Hilton spoke at the American Astronomical Society (AAS), telling them "scarcely a day goes by when someone doesn't ask me, jovially, when the Lunar Hilton is going to be opened. They’re joking, of course – but I don’t see it as a joke at all".[4] He considered that the structure would be built 20–30 feet (6.1–9.1 m) underground to cope with the widely fluctuating surface temperatures. It would have had three floors; the lowest housing machinery, the middle providing accommodation and the upper public spaces.[3] The accommodation was formed on two 400-foot (120 m) long corridors, connected by air locks, providing access to 100 rooms.[5][3] The rooms were designed to be similar to those in Hilton Hotels on Earth and were to be "large with carpets, and drapes and plants ... [and] wall-to-wall television for programs from Earth and for views of outer space".[6][3] There would also be an automated kitchen, powered by a nuclear reactor, and a cocktail lounge.[3] The hotel would have an automatic leak repair system.[5]
During his speech Barron Hilton noted that a feasibility study had been made in conjunction with Donald Wills Douglas Sr., founder of the Douglas Aircraft Company.[3] This had also considered a hotel orbiting the Earth, the Orbital Hilton, which was thought to be more achievable.[7] This would have had 14 levels and be capable of hosting 24 people for short holidays or stopovers en-route to the Moon.[3] Barron Hilton told the AAS "I firmly believe that we are going to have hotels in outer space, perhaps even soon enough for me to officiate at the formal opening of the first".[2]
To promote the concept Hilton printed reservation cards for customers and received hundreds of enquiries.[2] The cards featured a depiction of a satellite above the Moon and asked the customer for their preference of a single or double room or a "cloud suite". The cards also offered the option of a transfer to the "intergalactic express".[5] The reservation noted that arrival dates must be "after 1980".[3] As well as the cards, mock keys to Lunar Hilton rooms were distributed to Hilton hotels as promotional items, these were traditional keys in a "sleek" style.[2]
The Lunar Hilton concept was revived in 1969 as the first Moon landings took place.[2] In 1973 Hilton partnered with Trans International Airlines (TIA) to produce a brochure inviting customers to a trip to the Moon "sometime after 1973". The brochure stated benefits of the trip included "a smogfree atmosphere, no rain or snow, no breath of wind and profound silence". A TIA spokesperson said costs could be up to $25,000 per person.[8]
1990s revival
The concept was revived in the late 1990s.
Impact and future
Commentators have speculated that the Lunar Hilton concept was just a PR campaign rather than firm plans.
The Lunar Hilton concept has had an influence on popular culture. A 1962 episode of
See also
- First Moon Flights Club – a program to pre-book commercial flights to the Moon
References
- ^ Suburbanite Economist (August 27, 1958). "Page 18". Newspapers.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Novak, Matt (November 18, 2014). "What happened to Hilton's 'hotel on the Moon'?". BBC Future. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Prisco, Jacopo (June 8, 2021). "Hilton's bizarre 1967 plan for a space hotel". CNN. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ Hilton, Barron (1967). "Hotels in Space". 1967 AAS Conference Proceedings. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Leadbeater, Chris (July 18, 2019). "The strange story of the Hilton hotel on the moon, and the serious plan to build it". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-4419-0871-1. Archivedfrom the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-262-03892-8. Archivedfrom the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-5267-4857-7. Archivedfrom the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- .
- ^ Binkley, Christina. "Hilton, We Have a Problem: Lunar Resort Plans Hit a Snag". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- OCLC 781538667.
- ^ Belfiore, Michael (March 1, 2005). "The Five-Billion-Star Hotel". Popular Science.
- ^ Davis-Friedman, Samantha (October 16, 2022). "Voyager Space and Hilton to elevate the guest experience in space". Attractions Magazine. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- OCLC 877604595.