Until space tourism becomes a booming industry, you may have to settle for a night in a small California town off the I-15. Baker, California may just be a pit stop for many people en route to Las Vegas (and the home of the world’s largest thermometer), but it may soon become the home of the UFO Hotel.
Luis Ramallo is the owner of Alien Fresh Jerky, a snack shop for travelers and jerky-lovers to stock up on fuel. Alien Fresh Jerky opened in 2000 and has become quite a tourist destination drawing 750,000 visitors yearly.
Ramallo, who emigrated from Argentina in 1988, still refers to himself as a Resident Alien despite becoming a US citizen. He decided to take “alien” to a whole new level by creating the UFO Hotel — a space-themed destination for sci-fi fans, UFO nuts and possibly anyone headed to Vegas who need a place to crash when the Best Western is all booked.
This $30 million hotel recently broke ground, and the hotel’s Kickstarter campaign runs until July.
In the design concepts seen in the video below, the exterior and interior of the building will resemble a spaceship. The plans include 31 guest rooms, a spa (for tentacle-exfoliating, of course), a restaurant, a nightclub, concert venue and a chapel (for when you marry Worf.)
If the UFO Hotel is a success (the project hopes to bring in 100 jobs), Ramallo wants create an alien colony in Baker. This would include a stadium, convention center and an outlet mall called the “Mothership Shopping Center” because obviously you can’t have a mothership without a Nike Factory Store.
Source: NBC Los Angeles; UFO Hotel Kickstarker
