There will soon be a new southernmost hotel in the world—and it will be owned by a cruise company.
Silversea, a Miami-based sailing brand known for its hyper-luxurious ships and high-touch staff, recently announced that it has begun construction on a new hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile. Located in the southernmost city on earth, the 150-room hotel is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The goal is to streamline the experience of guests traveling to Antarctica on expeditions hosted by the cruise line.
“We’re thrilled to enhance the Antarctic travel experience by offering seamless journeys that remove traditional barriers for guests to this region,” said Bert Hernandez, president of Silversea. “This development not only differentiates us from other polar expeditions but also reaffirms our commitment to innovation and excellence as Silversea continues to set the standard in experiential luxury travel.”
Silversea is the only cruise line that departs from Puerto Williams during the Antarctica season (which runs from late October to late March). All others depart from Ushuaia, Argentina. The company sells all-inclusive trips to the White Continent and plans to use the hotel for pre-cruise and post-cruise nights in the Chilean city. It will give Silversea more control over the guest experience, allowing the cruise line to host all passengers in one place rather than relying on myriad hotels throughout the area to accommodate them.
A rendering of the forthcoming hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile, currently being built by Silversea.
Courtesy of Silversea
To start, Silversea plans to use the hotel to serve only guests who purchase fly-cruise packages from the line, which allows travelers to bypass the Drake Passage, the notoriously volatile waterway between South America and Antarctica. The fly-cruise program sees travelers board a plane in Puerto Williams, fly roughly two hours, and land on a gravel airstrip in Antarctica, where they can board one of Silversea’s vessels. The cruise line said it may expand availability beyond its own passengers in the future.
According to the cruise line, the hotel, which doesn’t yet have a name, will overlook the Beagle Channel, a strait on the southern tip of South America between Chile and Argentina, and will be surrounded by temperate rainforests, with views of the Patagonian mountains. It will also include a restaurant, a bar and lounge, a fitness center, and a gift shop featuring local art and handicrafts.
Presently, Silversea offers Antarctic voyages ranging from six to 20 days on its 200-passenger Silver Endeavour, 296-passenger Silver Wind, and 254-passenger Silver Cloud ships.
The news of Silversea marking its first foray into the hotel world comes as more and more hotel brands break into the cruise-ship game. Ritz-Carlton launched its Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection in 2022, with its 624-foot, 298-passenger Evrima, which offers sprawling suites with marble bathrooms and five dining concepts, including one curated by chef Sven Elverfeld, who earned three Michelin stars for his restaurant Aqua at the Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg in Germany. A second Ritz-Carlton yacht, Ilma, launched this year. Similarly, in 2026, Four Seasons and Aman plan to launch their first yachts.
