Rooftop Airstreams Coming to an Australia Near You

Melbourne’s Notel: A loftier take on the trailer park

By The Editors
February 26, 2016 9:00 am

Nomadic, industrious and coated in aluminum, few vehicles are as iconically American as the Airstream.

But a man from Down Under has uprooted the trailer from its blue-collar roots to create something rather loftier: Notel, a rooftop Airstream park that will soon be taking bookings.

It’s the brainchild of James Fry, a Melbourne parking garage owner who got an over-the-top idea to build a five-star trailer park in the sky. So he bought six Airstreams for $70k a pop and had them shipped across the Pacific. Fry plans to outfit each with a queen-sized bed, couch, high-end television and lavish bathroom before renting them out for about $250 a night.

Artist’s rendering

The $1 million project  — which will be accessible via a speakeasy-style door and have a café serving lattes via a hole in the wall — is “not a hotel,” says Fry. “We are anything but. We’re going to provide people with an experience that is 50 percent about the bed and the other 50 percent is about Melbourne.”

Until Notel is a finished product, we recommend Marfa, Texas’s quirky but decadent El Cósmico for those looking to satisfy their inner trailer dweller.

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