Russia has announced ambitious plans to build a hotel in space. According to plans unveiled in Moscow, the hotel, which would orbit 217 miles above ground, will have room for seven guests in four cabins, each with views of the Earth below.

The Commercial Space Station, as it is officially called, is due to open in 2016. Guests who decide to take the journey into space will spend two days aboard a Soyuz rocket to get there. While the hotel will reportedly be more comfortable than the International Space Station (ISS), holidaymakers can still expect sealed showers and bad food. Tourists, who will be accompanied by crew, will eat food prepared on Earth that can be reheated in a microwave. Alcohol will also be prohibited. And there may be the odd uninvited guest: astronauts from the ISS could use the hotel as an emergency bolthole.

Sergei Kostenko, head of Orbital Technologies, the firm that is building the hotel, said the hotel would be comfortable with large portholes to view the Earth below. "The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space." However, a trip to the hotel will not come cheap. A five-day stay will cost USD 580,000. So far, only 500 people have been into space.