The mayor of a Minnesota city is an ambitious man who wishes to build an underwater hotel in Lake Superior. Chris Swanson, mayor of Two Harbors, raised many eyebrows for his challenging vision of building a $400 million underwater hotel. The determined man aims to do so with the backing of an anonymous financier who uses the pseudonym “Mr. O.” This unique underwater hotel also involves a potential commercial submarine to enthrall its guests. The exciting details were revealed by the man himself on a podcast where Swanson appeared with “Mr. O” called “Ask a Billionaire” to promote the hotel concept.
Swanson wants to put both harbors of the Two Harbors to good use. One of them, Agate Bay, was used for shipping, leaving Burlington Bay for exploration and development. The mayor suggested on the show that Burlington Bay might make a good place for growth — an idea he nicknamed “the eighth wonder of Lake Superior,” according to Star Tribune. “What about an opportunity to put a facility in the water?” Swanson says on the podcast. “We started researching: What could that look like if we put lodging right into Lake Superior.” The driven and visionary duo also revealed the hotel would flaunt rooms above and below water, a driving range, a helipad, Scuba diving, and a submarine.
Swanson commented, “It’s an opportunity for people to buy into lodging facilities that will have a return on investment for them.” Sadly, the same enthusiasm isn’t shared by other city officials. They are distancing themselves from the proposal and have held a City Council meeting to review whether Swanson crossed ethical boundaries by soliciting investments while serving as an elected official. Whether this $400 million project will see the bottom of Lake Superior or not is something only time will tell.
[Via – Duluth News Tribune]
