Swede to Open 747 "Jumbo Hostel"
DECEMBER 30, 2008. A strange thing catches your eye as you exit Arlanda Airport on the highway towards Stockholm. A very lonely looking aircraft sits poetically on a hillside just outside the airport walls.
The Boeing 747 stripped of all airline identity almost looks like it's lost its way but you needn't feel sad for it. It is true it was left at Arlanda airport after its owner went bust, however it was rescued by a Swedish entrepreneur looking to expand his hotel business, and recognizing a good investment when he saw one bought the Pan Am jumbo and is in the process of converting it into one of the most unusual hostel in the world.
"I got information about this airplane standing abandoned at Arlanda," says Oscar Dios, who runs a hostel in Uppsala, about 20 miles north of Arlanda. "I thought why not try to convert it into a hostel? Since you've been converting boats and light houses and trains before into hostels."
"It's a fantastic feeling to place the aircraft at its new address just outside the airport. The location is well chosen considering how easily accessible it is with your own car, taxi, public transport, by foot or bicycle or with the shuttle buses from the car parks", says Oscar Di"os.
Twenty five rooms of 65 square foot are scheduled to open on January 15th and they have been rapidly taking bookings ready for the open since 3rd December. They are being minimally decorated with bunk beds, overhead luggage compartment and a flat screen TV with entertainment. There will also be easy access to flight information.
The Hostel will also include a reception area, small cafeteria, two rows of rooms on each side of the aisle with showers and toilets in the rear. Plan for the bubble on the top is to remodel it into a conference room with first-class flight seats and a bridal suit with en-suit bathroom being created out of the cock pit.
Dios is hoping for a mixed clientele from taxi drivers taking a break to and from the airport to wedding parties. Vows will be able to be exchanged in the left wing.
The hostel rates range from $40 for a bed in a shared four-bed dormitory to $170 for a private room with a twin bed and a single bed. The bridal suite costs $420 per night.
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