Hotel ship

A hotelship is a passenger ship which is used for a short period as a hotel.

At times when accommodation shortages can be predicted, for example during trade fairs or big events, hotelships can complement the already existing permanent hotels in a flexible fashion. In Germany, hotelships are evident during trade fair periods in Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Nuremberg and Hannover.

The moorings are usually located near the town centre. During a large trade fair such as Drupa or Medica in Düsseldorf, up to 40 ships can be moored to accommodate visitors.

River cruisers are used as hotelships for a limited time and intermittently. Whereas a hotel has a fixed address and is used permanently, hotelships are only in any one location for a defined duration. Ship owners and shipping companies are particularly keen on this use of river cruisers as, unlike in the case of deep sea cruise ships, there is no seasonal transfer of ships to warmer areas. The result is therefore more efficient use of the ships outside the main cruising season.

The main thoroughfares for river cruises in Europe are the rivers Rhine, Main, Danube and Elbe. Since many cities here lie directly on the river, this is also a particularly interesting area for hotelships. Moorings are usually conveniently located in the city centre, for example at the Konrad Adenauer Ufer in Cologne, the Altstadtufer in Düsseldorf or the Holbeinsteg at the Nizzawerft in Frankfurt. These locations are all close to the city centres and the trade fair grounds. Because of this network of inland waterways, hotelships can be positioned where and when required, and usually without lengthy transfers.

Hotelships are designed for cruising and therefore for longer stays on board. They are available in different categories and have between 50 and 100 cabins. Whereas earlier hotelships were very simple, they are now usually of a 4 or 5 star standard. This means the cabins come with shower, WC, air conditioning, telephone and TV. Depending on the ship, guests are likely to have bars, restaurants and lounges at their disposal, and, in superior categories of ship, even libraries, fitness areas, whirlpools or saunas.

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Wikipedia