ESO Hotel
Encyclopedia
Paranal Observatory
Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on Cerro Paranal at 2,635 m altitude and operated by the European Southern Observatory. The Very Large Telescope is the largest telescope on Paranal, actually composed of four separate 8.2 m telescopes...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
since 2002. It is mainly used for the ESO (European Southern Observatory
European Southern Observatory
The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries...
) scientists and engineers who work there on a roster system.
The hotel is located at 2400 metres (7,874 ft) above sea level on Cerro Paranal
Cerro Paranal
Cerro Paranal , also known as Paranal Mountain is a mountain in the Atacama desert of northern Chile that is home to the Paranal Observatory. It is famous for hosting the Very Large Telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope. It is located 120 km west of Antofagasta and 80 km north of Taltal,...
. The people there work in extreme climatic conditions including intense sunlight, dryness, high wind speeds and great fluctuations in temperature. To protect against these an artificial oasis has been built where people can relax between shifts. The Hotel has 120 rooms and other public spaces: a canteen, lounge, swimming pool, a fitness center and library.
The Hotel complex, comprising four levels, fits snugly into an existing depression in the ground. There are spectacular views out across the desert to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
from each of the 120 rooms and also from the dining room veranda.
Also visible is a slightly raised dome comprising a steel skeleton that measures 35 metres (114.8 ft) in diameter.
The hotel's exterior was featured in the 2008 Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Quantum of Solace. A miniature of the hotel was built by the visual effects team for the shots where the hotel is destroyed.
The architect was Auer+Weber of Germany and the constructor was Vial y Vives Ltda. of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. The total surface is 10 000 m², with the L-shape being 176 m x 53 m. It has 4 levels, 1 000 m² of Gardens, 108 rooms, and 18 offices. It includes a restaurant, music room, library, swimming-pool, and sauna. Its inauguration was in February 2002