An Unusual (yet strangely exciting) Hotel

Hello!? Although I subscribe to what seems like every design magazine, one of my very favorites is Budget Travel.? Budget Travel is the magazine for those who love to travel well at the best price possible — seems like that’s all of us, no?? I even signed up for their newsletter which had a cool article about the World’s Weirdest Hotels.? Some deserved that title but one of them caught my eye because it was so cool and well-designed for what it is.

The Harbour Crane is located in Harlingen in the Netherlands.? After two solid years of renovation, the hotel provides you great views of the Dutch landscape and is located right at the harbor docks.? Yup — the Harbour Crane is actually a massive crane that has been turned into a luxury hotel for two.? (It has a few nicknames: Blue Head, The Spider and Long William.)? It is located about 60 feet in the air and instead of oil and dirt you’ll find?a surprisingly designed interior (mostly primary colors and retro modern) — with touch screen?systems, insulated glass?and Eames lounge chairs.??It requires two high-tech lifts to take you up to your quarters.?The best part?? You can operate the crane and swivel 360 degrees to see any exterior view you’d like.

I think I like this concept because?1) it’s totally unique and 2)?I’m accustomed to stacked scaffolds and?cherry pickers so the height issue doesn’t raise a red flag.? The hubster may be another story…I’m not sure how I’m going to get him to agree to travel to just outside of Amsterdam and oh, spend the night in a crane above the Wadden Sea.??He won’t like the?$500/night price tag either…although I can always tell him it includes breakfast.? Here’s some pics:

Day and Night Views of the Harbour Crane:

If you go to the Harbour Crane website they also list two other guest spots,?the Harlingen?Lighthouse and the Lilla Marras lifeboat.? I hope you enjoyed this jaunt into unusual design…have a great day!