Luxury expedition cruise line, Silversea Cruises, has broken ground on a new hotel in the Antarctic, in a bid to offer its cruise guests what a press release calls “frictionless travel to the White Continent.”
The new facility’s site is in Puerto Williams, a Chilean port city that is the southernmost inhabited settlement in the world. Set in a “pristine forest” and overlooking the Beagle Channel, the 150-room hotel will offer waterfront and Patagonian mountain views, as well as a restaurant, bar, lounge, fitness centre, and local artisan gift shop.
Economic growth, minimal environmental impact?
Press materials promise that by completion in 2025 the hotel will “blend seamlessly into the surrounding environment drawing inspiration from local traditional art, architecture, and materials”. They also highlight the cruise line’s commitment to “fostering long-term partnerships with the communities of Puerto Williams” and its “work with stakeholders to create opportunities for economic growth while preserving the unique cultural heritage and minimizing environmental impact”.
Important to the local economy, Silversea is the only cruise line that uses Puerto Williams during the Antarctica season as its home port. Its position in the sub-Antarctic zone of Patagonia at the southern tip of South America provides a route for Silversea Cruise guests to explore the world’s least visited continent, discovering uninhabited Antarctic islands, snow-covered mountains, icescapes and a vast array of diverse wildlife.
New fly-cruise option
Effectively the hotel gives another option for cruise guests embarking on Silversea’s so-called “Antarctica Bridge” fly-cruise, which offers time-pressed passengers the chance to fly directly to Puerto Williams from the Chilean capital Santiago. From there, three Silversea liners serve a selection of 6 to 20-day Antarctic voyages.
Attending the groundbreaking event were a number of executives from Silversea, parent group Royal Caribbean, as well as regional, provincial and municipal Chilean representatives. “As we continue to push the boundaries on the ultimate vacation experience for our guests, this new hotel allows us to offer an unmatched Antarctic expedition,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group.
“Breathtaking and remote”
“Partnering with our experienced teams in Chile, we are providing guests with a unique opportunity to explore one of the world’s most breathtaking and remote destinations that advances our promise to deliver a lifetime of vacations,” Liberty added.
Building on that theme and claiming that “Silversea continues to set the standard in experiential luxury travel,” Bert Hernandez, Silversea’s president said the hotel would facilitate “seamless journeys that remove traditional barriers for guests to this region.”