Photo: walesonline.co.uk
Call it the mother of all ironies: a boat that was meant to become Wales’ first floating hotel was bought off by competition and then sunk as it started the journey to Ireland, which would have become its new home.
Maybe it was never meant to be. Back in 2017, a group of entrepreneurs from Swansea, Wales, in the UK, announced plans to create the country’s first floating hotel. It would target budget travelers who would normally be staying at hostels but it would have enhanced functionality, in that it could also be rented out for tours and private trips.
The group began talks with Swansea Councils in order to secure the funding needed to turn the 42-meter (138-foot) boat into a hotel that could accommodate up to 49 passengers and that would include everything from a bar, a coffee shop, to a restaurant and even a room for live entertainment. The plan was to offer low rates (at about £20 / $25.4 a night) in twin cabins with en-suite bathrooms.
As discussions progressed to purchase MV Oliver Cromwell from Gloucester, a third party (presumably, the competition) snatched the boat for the same purpose.
Wales Online says that a company from Ireland purchased the boat before the Wales group was able to rally and make an offer. And then, as if adding insult to injury (or perhaps the opposite of that), the boat sank off the coast of Ireland. It turns out the grass is not greener on the other side.
This happened in 2018, but video of the moment the Cromwell went down has just recently emerged online. As for the group with the bold plans to become the owners of the country’s first floating hotel, well, they’ve reoriented themselves. Their current project is a local pub.
“We've put the plans for the floating hotel on hold,” one of them tells the publication. “We've not put it totally to bed yet.”
Considering how dreadful 2020 has been and the consequences of the ongoing health crisis, they might as well put the idea to bed. Floating hotels, or any type of hotel, for that matter, will probably not… float.
The group began talks with Swansea Councils in order to secure the funding needed to turn the 42-meter (138-foot) boat into a hotel that could accommodate up to 49 passengers and that would include everything from a bar, a coffee shop, to a restaurant and even a room for live entertainment. The plan was to offer low rates (at about £20 / $25.4 a night) in twin cabins with en-suite bathrooms.
As discussions progressed to purchase MV Oliver Cromwell from Gloucester, a third party (presumably, the competition) snatched the boat for the same purpose.
Wales Online says that a company from Ireland purchased the boat before the Wales group was able to rally and make an offer. And then, as if adding insult to injury (or perhaps the opposite of that), the boat sank off the coast of Ireland. It turns out the grass is not greener on the other side.
This happened in 2018, but video of the moment the Cromwell went down has just recently emerged online. As for the group with the bold plans to become the owners of the country’s first floating hotel, well, they’ve reoriented themselves. Their current project is a local pub.
“We've put the plans for the floating hotel on hold,” one of them tells the publication. “We've not put it totally to bed yet.”
Considering how dreadful 2020 has been and the consequences of the ongoing health crisis, they might as well put the idea to bed. Floating hotels, or any type of hotel, for that matter, will probably not… float.
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