Is North Korea finally serious about completing construction of Ryu-Gyong Hotel—once called the world’s worst building—after years of neglect and secrecy?
Since 1992, the 1,100 foot-tall structure has stood in downtown Pyongyang without windows or any interior. If completed, the 3.9 million-sf building would have 105 stories and 3,000 guest rooms.
Some architects say the building should be demolished, and others wonder if it’s even structurally sound after years of neglect. North Korea could spend up to $2 billion to finish the hotel and make it safe.
Related Stories
Hotel Facilities | Feb 13, 2018
6 trends shaping smart hotels
From real-time guest feedback to AI-driven hyper-personalization, the hotel of the future will emphasize service, convenience, authenticity, and just the right amount of technology.
Hotel Facilities | Feb 12, 2018
Circular hotel will be world’s first energy positive hotel concept above the Arctic Circle
The hotel will provide 360-degree views of the Svartisen glacier and the surrounding arctic nature.
Hotel Facilities | Feb 8, 2018
Nashville hotel takes authenticity to the extreme with dedicated recording studio, performance spaces
Music City has experienced a hotel construction boom in recent years, making for a more competitive market.
Hotel Facilities | Jan 24, 2018
U.S. hotel markets with the largest construction pipelines
Dallas, Houston, and New York lead the way, with more than 460 hotel projects in the works.
Hotel Facilities | Nov 10, 2017
The hotel of the future has just the right amount of tech
CallisonRTKL’s recent survey helps shed some light on how the hotel of the future might strike a balance between tech and the human touch.
Hotel Facilities | Oct 6, 2017
This year’s Radical Innovation Award winners showcase portable and flexible hotel designs
The grand prize hotel concept gives new meaning to “back to nature.”
Adaptive Reuse | Oct 5, 2017
Wexford’s latest innovation center breaks ground in Providence
The campus is expected to include an Aloft hotel.
Giants 400 | Sep 22, 2017
Welcome home: Hotels want guests to feel more like residents than visitors
Because hotels can take as long as six years to complete, spotting trends—and differentiating them from fads—is tough when tastes and systems change so rapidly.
Giants 400 | Sep 22, 2017
Top 80 hotel construction firms
Turner Construction Co., Swinerton, and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest hotel sector contractor and construction management firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.