HotelChatter - Pyongyang

One Hotel We Do Not Want to Open

juliana — 2011-10-12T10:25:31-05:00

As we begin to go through the list of hotels that were to open in 2011, here's one hotel that we do not want to open---the Hotel of Doom aka aka The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.

The Telegraph UK reports that thanks to investments made by an Egyptian construction group, the hotel is now readying for an April 2012 opening after having stopped work on the tower in 1993. Opening day will actually fall on April 15, what would have been the 100th birthday of nation's founder Kim Il-sung.

So what will be inside the world's fugliest hotel?

North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel Gets a New Lease On its "Doomed" Life

juliana — 2008-07-18T13:34:15-05:00

Quite possibly the worst hotel in the world is the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. This is not because the hotel is infested with bed bugs, or has crappy service, pay-for-WiFi or outrageous valet parking charges.

Nope, it's the worst hotel in the world because it has been abandoned for over 16 years with construction on the 105-storey pyramid-shaped hotel halted in 1992. It's never even hosted hotel guests. Oh yeah, and it's in North Korea.

Indeed, it's been dubbed "The Hotel of Doom" and the "Phantom Hotel." And if you think it doesn't look so bad, ugh. Check it in Google Earth.

The Second Biggest Hotel in Pyongyang

markj — 2006-05-25T10:07:26-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3/pyonyang_skyline.jpg"> The Ryugyong Hotel, aka Dr. Evil's secret hideout hotel, never fails to fascinate us, even though it will more than likely never see an actual guest. The DPRK has actually struck the hotel from all official maps, and we hear many tour guides won't even confirm Ryugyong's existence. Ha.  Yeah, the big, ominous, monolithic structure in the middle of town, that just so happens to be the seventh tallest building in the world doesn't exist. So if Ryuguyog is a figment of your imagination, where do you stay if you visit Pyongyang?  Well, more than likely you will stay at, <a href="http://w3.whosea.org/general/info_dprk.htm">Koryo Hotel</a>, the second largest hotel in North Korea (also the second highest building in the

Ryugyong Hotel Spotted on Google Earth

dzot — 2006-04-07T15:32:45-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3/ryugyong_looms.jpg"> [Publisher's note: <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/user/dzot/stories">dzot</a>, a hotel maven with tenure around these parts, fondly recalls his first encounter with us, which involved our <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2004/12/30/132441/09/misc/2004_Awards_Best_Villain">2004 Best Hotel Villain</a>. Enjoy.] The first time I ever visited HotelChatter was when another site linked to <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2004/10/22/102731/59">this post</a> about the surreally eerie Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea. DamnIntersting.com has posted <a href="http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=490">even more info</a> about this travesty. The hotel, which was once found on city maps before the construction even began, has now been completely stricken from the official maps. Tour guides usually claim not to know where it is. Either a majority of the country is in a state of denial about the whole thing, or they avoid the

2004 Awards: Best Villain

HotelChatter — 2004-12-30T13:30:18-05:00

HotelChatter 2004 Award :: Best Villain

Now we are not saying this hotel is evil, we have no idea if that is the case.