How the World’s First Floating Hotel Ended Up Abandoned in North Korea

The world's first floating hotel was built in Australia, and its decades-old story is a wild one that takes place through Singapore, the Great Barrier Reef, and eventually North Korea.

In addition to its 200 rooms, the mysterious floating hotel has seven stories with a nightclub, bars and restaurants, a helipad, and a tennis court. If you wanted to be surrounded by the color and glamor of the 1980s, you could book a night in this five-star hotel as it gently drifted over John Brewer Reef, about 43.5 miles (70 km) off the coast of Townsville, starting in early 1988. However, that wouldn't be the case for long, and wherever it went, financial difficulties and other problems would follow its trail. It has now been abandoned in North Korea, which leads us to today.

We haven't seen many floating hotels made since then, and there must surely be a reason. If you want to learn more about this piece of history, make sure you watch the video embedded above, and as always, enjoy.