Somnio Residential Megayacht Will Be the World’s Biggest, a Floating Hotel

The idea of residential superyachts is not new. To this day, The World, delivered in 2002, is the biggest and most famous vessel of the kind, offering 165 luxury residences and a transatlantic range. When Somnio is delivered in 2024, it will take the crown from The World and, in the process, become the biggest megayacht ever, both in terms of size and volume.

Somnio means “to dream” in Latin, and the name is very fitting. It’s a massive, 222-meter (728-foot) vessel with six decks and an incredible volume of 33,500GT that brings together the very best of superyachts and five-star resorts. It is a cruise liner, but only for the world’s richest and most connected since even to get more specifics on the build means being invited into the password-protected community.

Designed by Tillberg Design of Sweden and Winch Design from the UK, Somnio will be built by Norwegian yard VARD, with direct involvement by VARD’s parent company, Fincantieri from Italy. If that’s not an international project, we don’t know what is. The motto at Fincantieri is “the technology of beauty,” and Somnio’s first renders show that, indeed, despite its gargantuan size, this is a thing of beauty.

Described as a “yacht liner,” Somnio will feature 39 luxury condos with completely customizable layouts. Each unit, comprising several cabins and the usual luxe amenities (gym, private terrace, kitchen, walk-in wardrobe, office space, spa), will have direct access to a bunch of shared amenities and services. There will be indoor and outdoor dining spaces (restaurants, as us regular folks call them), pools and bigger spas, entertainment areas like cinemas, conference halls and music halls, and the most impressive beach club ever seen on a megayacht to date. That last part makes sense since everything is bigger on a bigger boat.

Prices for a condo will start at $11.2 million but, before you start saving pennies, don’t. Unless you’re invited or have a referral, you can’t book your next home away from home. Somnio promises not just ultra-luxury at sea but also fiercely guarded privacy for the owners. So, while they might have to mingle among themselves while at sea, no one but them will know who was there.

Captain Erik Bredhe, whose credits include a previous title as Master of The World (the other residential megayacht, for the sake of clarity), serves as Somnio Lead. He says that “Owners will share a truly unique lifestyle at sea, with a hand-picked crew and a never-ending global itinerary of carefully selected destinations and experiences befitting a yacht of this nature.”

Since this will be, more or less, a floating hotel (city, more like it), it will have state-of-the-art medical equipment and medical centers. While destined primarily for the enjoyment of a few, it will double as a research station and feature advanced research equipment allowing scientists to explore the environment. Researchers will also inform owners of pressing issues encountered along the way and, in this way, educate them toward leading more sustainable lives.

A concierge service will be included, as will be equipment for exploration in and out of the water. A ship this size will come with a well-stocked garage, including water toys and vehicles for exploration on land. A dive chamber will also be included.

The announcement notes that Somnio is now currently under construction. The design stage alone took 18 months, but final delivery is expected for mid-2024. That is also when the world record will be broken. Reports online note that Somnio will cost some $600 million to build, which, though not record-breaking, is still a pretty impressive amount.