January 30, 2026, 3:08 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
The California start-up GRU Space plans to open the first hotel on the moon. The first guests are expected to be welcomed as early as 2032. Those who want to be among the first guests of the moon hotel can reserve their spot now with a deposit of 1 million U.S. dollars. TRAVELBOOK has reviewed the plans for the first moon hotel.
Scam or a serious endeavor? A look at the website of the U.S. start-up Galactic Resource Utilization Space, or GRU Space, suggests both. On the positive side is a truly ambitious plan by a 22-year-old Berkeley graduate for the first-ever moon hotel. It could open for initial visitors as early as 2032. Initially, in a preliminary version, and later as a permanently installed luxury hotel on the lunar surface.
However, doubts about the seriousness of the venture arise when looking at the unclear financial situation, as well as the conditions for reserving a spot in the moon hotel. For instance, interested parties are already paying now, even though the first mission to build the hotel is not set to start for another three years.
The Moon Hotel
Currently, the moon hotel exists as a vision, a plan on paper. Nothing stands on the moon yet. And it will take a while, as the California-based company GRU Space, founded by Skyler Chan, plans to embark on its first moon mission in 2029. Two years later, the hotel, built on Earth, is to be transported to the moon using a heavy-lift vehicle. According to GRU, the building is inflatable, meaning it will expand to its full size only on the moon. Training for the astronauts is also set to begin in 2031.
Once the hotel is completed, up to four guests can stay for several days. This first version of the moon hotel will, according to GRU, remain for a maximum of ten years. In the future, it is to be replaced by another inflatable structure, but one “surrounded by structures made of lunar material,” as stated on the website. This will increase the capacity from four to ten guests and extend the operational duration, GRU Space promises on its website. If the venture on the moon succeeds, the company plans to expand its interplanetary hotel plans to Mars.
So goes the plan of the team around Berkeley graduate and former Tesla vehicle software developer Chan. Chan’s vision is supported by Dr. Kevin Cannon, according to GRU, a former professor at the Colorado School of Mines and a graduate in planetary sciences from Brown University, as well as Dr. Robert Lillis, deputy director for planetary sciences at the Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley and PI of ESCAPADE (NASA Mars mission).
Before the moon missions and work on the first hotel on the moon begin, it’s all about the money. GRU Space’s timeline for this year first involves reviewing the contributions and fees received to select future guests. In 2027, selected applicants will receive their invitations and information on further requirements for their stay on the moon.
1 Million Deposit for Interested Moon Hotel Guests
2032 is not too far away. Is there enough time to let the first guests move into the moon hotel? So far, there is neither a building permit nor does the financing seem to be settled. However, GRU Space is already accepting reservations.
Here’s how to apply:
In the first step, interested parties can pay a $1,000 or 871.56 euro application fee. This is non-refundable, but it is a prerequisite to even being considered as a guest, before the actual reservation. Subsequently, GRU Space will contact the interested parties to request “certain documents” and complete the registration, according to the website. “If a positive decision is made, we ask you to make a fully refundable deposit to reserve your place in history!” GRU further advertises. The deposit, depending on the chosen option, is $250,000 or $1 million. This will be credited toward the final price “once the hotel is ready to accommodate guests.”
The price for a stay at the moon hotel is not yet finalized according to GRU, but it will most likely exceed $10 million. Refunds of the deposit are possible after 30 days, but the application fee of $1,000 remains with the company, regardless of whether one ultimately becomes a guest at the moon hotel or not. This doesn’t sound very reassuring at first. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean something is amiss. It remains to be seen how GRU Space’s moon missions will develop.
Editor’s note: TRAVELBOOK has reached out to GRU Space with various questions, but no response was received by the editorial deadline. Once a response is received, we will update this article.