The First Facility Management Blog

On March 19, 2008, FacilityBlog posted the article below which touched upon the decaying state of Michael Jackson’s Neverland estate (which was sold last year). Abandoned and tied up in legalities for many years, the piece of property symbolized some of the financial turmoil and legal woes that swirled around the late Michael Jackson.

A comeback tour due to start in just a few weeks was supposed to help pull the King of Pop out of his economic meltdown. Despite being a billion dollar business, the singer was in about $400 million in debt when he died yesterday.

There have been reports from some companies that people would be dressing up in Michael Jackson attire today. What has been the reaction to this news, if any, in your facilities? Is it just another distraction during a slow Summer Friday? 

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Airport hotels are a common sight, and a welcome one to tired travelers looking for a convenient place to hang their hats for a night. But airplane hotels are a whole other story, and that’s what is located just outside Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden.

In operation since last month, “Jumbo Hostel” is contained in a circa 1976 Boeing 748-200 plane. The new lodging facility is owned by Scandinavian businessman Oscar Diös, who has previous hospitality experience as owner and operator of hostel Uppsala Vandrarhem och Hotell in Uppsala, Sweden.

The Boeing 748-200 was last flown in 2002.

Jumbo Hostel was designed to offer an affordable and memorable stay for travelers staying over at the airport, or for anyone intrigued by the unusual accommodations. There are 25 rooms, with at most three beds in each. In all, the hostel offers 85 beds, with a mix of shared dorm type rooms (currently about $45USD/night), shared two bed rooms (about $150USD/night), and a private suite in the former cockpit (approximately $170USD/night).

Each room occupies about 64 square feet and heights measure close to 10′ from floor to ceiling. All rooms have a flat screen TV where guests can also watch flight departure times. There is also access to wireless broadband throughout. All rooms offer a shared shower and toilet in the corridor, except for the cockpit suite which contains its own shower and toilet.

Jumbo Hostel also has a cafe where guests can buy breakfast and basic meals as well as heat up their own food.

This cutaway shows a typical guest quarter, along with common space.

In December 2007, Sigtuna authorities granted a building permit for establishing Jumbo Hostel at the entrance to Arlanda airport. In January 2008, the aircraft was moved to a construction site parking where the first phase of the conversion involved dismantling of the old interior, new paint and new decorations for the rooms. 450 seats are taken out, and the plane sanitized in its entirety. The Jumbo Hostel Web site notes that the facility is built “like any house,” subjected to the same demands on climate control and isolation. It adheres to all common energy standards. Heating is achieved with an air-air inverter.

In summer 2008 the plane was towed to its intended site at the entrance to Arlanda where it was placed on a concrete foundation with the landing gear secured in two steel cradles.

(Photo courtesy of Jumbo Hostel; Illustration by Monsén arkitektur)

SEEMS Inc., a Japanese company which focuses on fragrance and biomimetics to develop products for environmental, medical, and security applications, has developed the “Wasabi Fire Alarm”.

The pungent fragrance of Wasabi may save lives.

Actually a smoke detector, the product is designed to assist in notifying deaf people of a fire event using the pungent aroma of Wasabi–the spicy green horseradish condiment known for its ability to make eyes water. Upon detecting smoke, the unit sprays out a synthesized wasabi smell that wakes up people who might have slept through a conventional fire alarm.

Prototype of SEEMS Inc.'s Wasabi Fire Alarm

Assistant professor Makoto Imai from the Shiga University of Medical Science, who built the alarm in collaboration with SEEMS, stated the smoke detector may save lives among the hard of hearing. In studies, Imai reported that the Wasabi smoke detector was tested on 14 people, including four deaf people. Except for one person with a blocked nose, all woke up within two minutes of the smell reaching them.

The product may enter the market in Japan within two years.