The first time I heard about a hotel made entirely of ice, I had to ask myself "how in the world is such a hotel sustainable?". Given how fragile ice and snow can be, I would expect an incredible amount of maintenance to keep this type of hotel in shape. I am not familiar of the temperature and weather in Quebec, Canada but I am assuming that it is low enough to keep the hotel from melting for long periods of time. Needless to say, I had some doubts about the existence of Hotel de Glace but a quick search and (here) it was.
Although I still question the structural integrity of the materials used in this scale, the hotel was truly a sight to see. There were many intricate designs and carvings throughout everywhere in the hotel from the furniture to wall. One eye catching advantage that I noticed with rooms made of ice is how easily they can be colored using lights.
After a month and a half with 60 workers, some staggering 500,000 tons of ice, and 15,000 tons of snow, Hotel de Glace was created. It was noted that the cost to create this hotel during the first year was around $350,000. Hotel de Glace contains a night club, bar, art gallery, indoor heated washrooms, movie theater, outdoor hot tubs and up to 85 beds. Additional images of the magnificent icy hotel by Etolane can be found (here). Below are some wallpapers of the spectacular frozen hotel from the official site.
The walls of the Ice Hotel average 4 feet thick which amounts to 1.2 meters. It is interesting to note that all furniture is made of ice along with drinks being served in ice glasses and food being served on ice plates.
