They're no desserts. And certainly no treats. As reported in Le Monde, hotel groups and other tour operators are busy developing our future vacances de rêve [read: cauchemar].Atoll-hotels and other gigantic, artificial islands of several square miles will travel and moor everywhere in the world -- from the Caribbean to Shanghai to Dubai -- starting in 2010. Good bye real travel experiences. Hello human zoo. Enjoy being processed in a highly scripted environment.
Utopia? No, fact. But maybe those îles-paquebots won't happen. Beyond their obvious affront to the environment, energy shortages are likely to turn them into non-starters. Ironically, paquebot means 'liner', but it also means 'white elephant' in real estate jargon.
Perhaps the true floating islands of the future will be those gargantuan Greenwich properties. Tacky excesses built by Wall Street successes [as discussed in last month's Vanity Fair], they're conveniently located right on the water line -- an ideal spot to take advantage of global warming and rising ocean levels.
Perhaps the true floating islands of the future will be those gargantuan Greenwich properties. Tacky excesses built by Wall Street successes [as discussed in last month's Vanity Fair], they're conveniently located right on the water line -- an ideal spot to take advantage of global warming and rising ocean levels.
Those hedge fund managers sure know where to place their bets!
screenshot Le Monde & scan Vanity Fair
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