A new hotel is about to open in the southern tip of the world, operated by a company you may not have expected.
luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises revealed Wednesday that it will build a 150-room luxury property just south of Puerto Williams, Chile, the world’s southernmost settlement.
The luxury brand, which until now was not in the hotel business, plans to use the property to host its luxury-loving clients at the beginning and end of cruises to Antarctica.
“It will allow for a much more comfortable brand experience,” Silversea president Bert Hernandez told TPG during an exclusive interview ahead of the announcement.
Silversea sells all-inclusive trips to Antarctica that include pre- and post-cruise nights at hotels in Port Williams. However, until now he has used hotels operated by other companies for stays in Puerto Williams.
The new Silversea hotel will allow the brand to offer a more seamless and exclusive experience during its trips to Antarctica, Hernández suggested.
“There aren’t a lot of great accommodations in the area, so that really creates a big gap in experience,” he said.
The new hotel will be built in collaboration with a consortium of Chilean investors, according to Silversea.
You will overlook the Beagle Channel, a famous and scenic waterway at the southern tip of South America that is the traditional starting point for Antarctica cruises. The canal is part of the Patagonia region, known for its impressive mountains, glacial fjords and temperate rainforests.
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Silversea said the hotel would be surrounded by pristine forest and feature views of the Beagle Channel and the snow-capped mountain ranges of Patagonia.
Construction of the hotel begins this week and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.
Silversea is the only cruise line operating voyages to Antarctica from Port Williams. Most cruise companies with trips to Antarctica operate departures from Ushuaia, Argentina.
The latter is a larger tourist center than Puerto Williams but a little further from Antarctica. Like Puerto Williams, Ushuaia lies along the Beagle Channel, which leads to the famous and rugged Drake Passage, the ocean passage between South America and Antarctica.
Unlike many Antarctica cruise operators, Silversea offers traditional cruise trips across the Drake to Antarctica and Rarest “cruise” trips to the mainland.
Related: How to Get to Antarctica: The Pros and Cons of Flying vs. Cruising
Fly-cruise trips begin with a flight from Puerto Williams through the Drake Passage to a Chilean base in Antarctica with a gravel runway. On these trips, a Silversea ship awaits passengers at the Chilean base.
Silversea said the new hotel would include a spacious restaurant designed for group gatherings, a bar and lounge, a fitness center and a gift shop showcasing crafts and art from local artisans. It was designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding environment and draw inspiration from local art, architecture and traditional materials, the company said.
As part of the announcement, Silversea said it is committed to fostering a partnership with the communities of Puerto Williams. He said he will work with stakeholders to create opportunities for economic growth while preserving the unique cultural heritage and minimizing the environmental impact on the area.
Hernandez told TPG that Silversea will use a modular construction process for the hotel, with rooms built off-site. He called this process more sustainable than on-site construction and more practical given the remote location. He noted that Silversea had a lot of experience in modular room construction, as that is how rooms are built for cruise ships.
Hernandez suggested that Silversea passengers will be able to extend their hotel stays to spend more time exploring the Patagonia region in addition to traveling to Antarctica. It could serve as a “base of operations” for such exploration, he said.
“The region itself has a lot to offer if you want to stay a couple of nights before or after,” he said. “So I think that’s how we’re thinking about it.”
Related: I just spent the night in an igloo in Antarctica – here’s how you can do it too
Hernandez added that the property will only be open during the Antarctic cruise season, which runs from November to March. It was designed primarily for use by Silversea customers, but may one day accept non-Silversea customers as well.
“The models we used to develop this project did not assume outsiders, but that is very possible as we understand how this all works,” he said.
Silversea is one of the largest tour operators to Antarctica. Three of the line’s small expedition ships, Silver Endeavor, Silver Wind and Silver Cloud, operate a wide range of six- to 20-day voyages to the continent.
All three ships are luxury ships with a crew-to-guest ratio of almost 1:1.
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