by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:07 AM ET, Tue September 20, 2022
Space exploration leader Voyager Space announced Hilton would be the official hotel partner of Starlab, the company's planned free-flying commercial space station.
Hilton will bring its renowned hospitality expertise to support the design and development of crew suites aboard Starlab, helping to reimagine the human experience in space and making extended stays more comfortable.
The first-of-its-kind venture builds on Hilton's effect in new and emerging markets and its storied history with space, as the company will bring its unique scale and customer focus to Starlab as it continues to serve every traveler for every trip occasion.
Voyager and Hilton will partner in the areas of architecture and design, with the hotel company's creative design and innovation experts developing Space Hospitality crew headquarters aboard Starlab, including communal areas, hospitality suites and sleeping arrangements for the astronauts.
"Hilton has been innovating to improve the guest experience and pioneering new destinations for travel for more than a century," Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta said. "We are thrilled to partner with Voyager to bring that expertise to Starlab. For decades, discoveries in space have been positively impacting life on Earth, and now Hilton will have an opportunity to use this unique environment to improve the guest experience wherever people travel."
"This landmark collaboration underscores our deep commitment to spreading the light and warmth of hospitality and providing a friendly, reliable stay, whether on the ground or in outer space," Nassetta continued.
Additionally, the teams will seek to explore opportunities together for longer-term efforts, including the ground-to-space astronaut experience, global co-marketing and branding and other tourism, educational and commercial efforts.
Voyager and its operating company Nanoracks were awarded $160 million in NASA funding in 2021 for the Starlab space station, which is set to replace the International Space Station. The craft is planned to have the capacity to continuously host up to four astronauts and house the George Washington Carver (GWC) Science Park.
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