"You know what this quarry needs, Karl? A five star hotel."
That's probably how the discussion went when developers in Shanghai decided to build a 5 star underground cave. Work is due to start this month on the 19 storey hotel at an abandoned quarry in the Sheshan national resort area. Many of 370 rooms will be underground.
Li Xuyang, a senior manager for Shimao Group who notably is not called 'Karl', but is heading the project, said: "Two stories will be built underwater, 17 will be within the cave and two more will be above ground. The roof of the hotel will only be 15 m above the cave.
"The idea was to take advantage of this unique land form and to create a garden growing in the air. People could view hundred-meter high waterfall from their room window.
"The hotel is part of the larger project to build Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, a large-scale theme park. Reports say the hotel is expected to open in 2014 or 2015."
Looks a bit shabby just now, mind you...
Images: Rex