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Transcript/Script((Playbook slug: TV South Africa Airliner Hotel - Chanson
Headline: Retired Boeing 737 Turned Hotel Permits Flights of Fantasy
Teaser: Aerotel delivers a one-of-a-kind experience in northern South Africa
Published at: 5/9/2022 AT 9:05AM
Byline: Romain Chanson
Contributor:
Dateline: Hoedspruit, South Africa
Videographer : Romain Chanson
Video editor:
Script editor(s): KE; Reifenrath
Video source(s): VOA,
Platforms: Web __ TV _x__ Radio _x_
TRT: 3:07
Vid approved by: KE
TYPE: Editor notes:))
((INTRO))
[[When you think about places to get some rest, airplanes don’t normally come to mind. Aerotel is trying to change all that. Romain Chanson reports for VOA from northern South Africa, in this piece narrated by Carol Guensburg.]]
((NARRATOR))
This Boeing 737 once flew in Australia, the United States and Afghanistan.
But in 2019, the aircraft landed permanently in South Africa’s northernmost province of Limpopo, in the town of Hoedspruit.
Retired from air service, it has been transformed into a boutique hotel. The 40-year-old aircraft’s cabin has been retrofitted with six bedrooms.
[[For radio: Manager Simoné Breytenbach explains.]]
((Simoné Breytenbach, Aerotel Manager)) (female, English )
“So, this is how the rooms look. We use the head compartment as well for extra storage, maybe a blanket if someone gets cold. And on this side is the hangers, extra storage space, mirror, mini fridge, safe. Well, we have limited space, so we try to keep it as unique and original as possible. So, then, that’s why the shower is also a little bit smaller but has everything you need. Instead of where you in a normal plane sit uncomfortable with someone behind you, next to you, here you can relax, sleep nicely, no one to bother you."
((Ivanda Swiegers, Visitor)) (female, in English)
"Oh, it’s so cute!"
((Willem Marais, Visitor)) (male, in English)
“Very nice!”
((NARRATOR))
This Johannesburg family has come not only to order drinks but also to explore the plane-turned-hotel. Visitors can walk on the wing for an elevated look at the African bush and Drakensberg mountains.
But the cockpit is the main attraction.
((Nat SOUND))
((Willem Marais, Visitor)) (male, in English)
"Are we taking off?"
((Ivanda Swiegers, Visitor)) (female, in English)
"We're flying to Bali! I fly a lot, so I face my fears quite often. ... But this is like – I can actually enjoy the airplane."
((Willem Marais, Visitor)) (male, in English)
“Being able to actually sit in an airplane seat and having a cocktail and watching the African sunset is really something that I’ve never experienced before.”
((NARRATOR))
In Stockholm, Sweden, another company has converted a jumbo jet into a budget hotel. The more luxurious South African hotel, where a night’s stay costs $220 per couple, was imagined by real estate developers Martin and Tracy den Dunnen.
[[For radio: Tracy den Dunnen explains.]]
((Tracy den Dunnen, Aerotel Co-owner)) (female, English)
"We really just wanted to rebuild or repurpose or recycle an airplane that was going to be scrapped. So, when this one came along, it was sort of perfect. And, yeah, the ‘wow factor’ remains – the uniqueness. And when people visit it, they’re quite astounded at what’s been achieved.”
((NARRATOR))
Last June, Aerotel acquired a second jetliner, a Boeing 727 that previously belonged to the president of Djibouti.
It will be transformed into a private three-bedroom hotel that can be leased in its entirety.
Visitors can realize an even crazier dream: sleeping in a presidential plane.
For Romain Chanson in Hoedspruit, South Africa, Carol Guensburg, VOA News
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Hoedspruit, South Africa
BylineRomain Chanson
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
