The Cormorant at 55 South, which claims to be the world’s southernmost hotel, has just opened its doors. The catch is that you can only stay here in conjunction with a Silversea cruise… the hotel isn’t otherwise bookable independently!
Silversea opens hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile
Luxury cruise line Silversea, which belongs to Royal Caribbean Group, has just opened a hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile. The hotel is named The Cormorant at 55 South, and it’s being marketed as the world’s southernmost hotel.
The hotel features 150 rooms, along with several food & beverage outlets. This includes Latitude 55 (the main restaurant, serving a family-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner), Bar Sur (the bar serving drinks, snacks, and afternoon tea), and Fireplace Lounge (the lounge open in the evenings).
The hotel also has a 24/7 gym, as well as exploration opportunities in the area, ranging from sea kayaking, to horseback riding, to birdwatching, and more.
I’ve gotta say, I’m intrigued by this property. I’ve stayed at the world’s northernmost hotel, the Radisson Blu Polar Hotel in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. I’d certainly love to stay at the world’s southernmost hotel as well.
There’s a catch, though, which is that you can’t actually directly book this hotel, unless it’s part of a cruise package.
This is part of the Antarctica Fly Cruise program
Cruising to Antarctica has grown in popularity over the years, and there are all kinds of itineraries. Cruises typically leave from the very south of South America, in which case you have to cruise for two days in each direction, crossing the Drake Passage (often referred to as “the Drake Shake,” due to how rough the seas can be).
Obviously some guests are in more of a time crunch, and that’s where Silversea’s Antarctica Fly Cruise program comes into play. The idea is that you take a chartered flight from Santiago to Puerto Williams, then you spend a night at this hotel, and then you fly to Antarctica, and board your cruise there. This cuts down travel time, and the potential unpleasantness of the Drake Passage, with some cruise itineraries being as short as six days.
The season has just kicked off for Silversea, and the cruise line has three ships operating in Antarctica (the Silver Endeavour, Silver Wind, and Silver Cloud), and they’ll operate a total of 40 voyages, including 29 Antarctica Fly Cruise voyages. The cruises range from six to 21 nights, with some also going to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.
Building a hotel just for this purpose is of course a huge expense, but it shows Silversea’s commitment to this market. I must say, that sounds like a pretty great setup, even if Silversea isn’t typically the line you think of for expedition cruising.
Bottom line
The Cormorant at 55 South has just opened in Puerto Williams, Chile, and it claims to be the world’s southernmost hotel. The catch is that you can’t independently book a stay at this 150-room property. Instead, it’s intended exclusively for Silversea guests who book an Antarctica Fly Cruise voyage. Rather than having to cross the Drake Passage by ship, you instead spend a night here, then take a chartered flight to Antarctica, and then board your ship there.
I’m mighty intrigued by this hotel from a geographical perspective, though I’m not sure a Silversea cruise to Antarctica is in the cards for me anytime soon.
What do you make of this new southernmost hotel?
I suspect that Silversea is looking to grow the fly in / fly out market and this hotel is critical to that. Flying to Antarctica will always be a bit iffy as weather can disrupt plans at a moment's notice. Now Silversea will have better control over its passengers in the event of those disruptions.
It's interesting that there is a concept of northernmost and southernmost while it would be nonsensical to talk of easternmost or westernmost, yet the earth is a sphere in all directions!
This is a bit of a throwback to the destination hotels that railroad companies used to build.