Vegas Mogul Bigelow Goes All In on Inflatable Space Hotels

Events have overtaken the publishing schedule. Things are happening so fast now, I cannot write to you on a Friday with any sense of certainty as to what will happen in the following 72 hours.

The sovereign debt crisis in Europe has brought back "weekend risk" -- that fun phenomenon where breaking news on a Sunday has potential to rock the market on Monday.

We are now at the stage with Greece where a "Lehman 2.0" event is imminent, and may in fact be unfolding as you read this.

On the other hand, if the powers that be pull off yet another Hail Mary temporary fix, investors could be reverting back to their euphoric "crisis averted" stance for the umpteenth time.

Not knowing what life's box of chocolates has in store for us, let's take a twist and look at something completely different: An eccentric Las Vegas mogul who is building inflatable space hotels, with the America-China moon race his ace in the hole.

Yes, you read that right. There is life beyond the credit crisis, and some of it is pretty interesting.

Bigelow Aerospace

Robert Bigelow, 67, owns a real estate empire worth $700 million (according to Forbes ) -- not quite a cool billion, but close enough. He borrowed $20,000 to invest in Las Vegas apartments in the late 1960s, and built his way up from there. In 1988 Bigelow founded Budget Suites of America, a no-frills extended-stay hotel chain.

As Bigelow amassed his real estate fortune, however, his head was in the clouds. Or to be more accurate, the stars. As a child, Bigelow heard the story of his grandparents being approached by a glowing UFO in the Nevada desert. His fascination with space was sealed from that point on.

Today, the real estate mogul's main passion is Bigelow Aerospace, a compound set on what Forbes calls "50 acres of dirt and scrub" in the Mojave Desert.

Within this tightly controlled area, complete with razor-wire fence and armed security, Bigelow is building space hotels -- "high-tech, low-cost inflatable space stations 228 miles above sea level."

The venture is real. Or at the very least, credible people are taking Bigelow seriously. "Bigelow is absolutely viable," NASA director Phil McAlister reports. "We're very interested to see how they proceed."

Bigelow isn't exactly sure yet how his inflatable space hotels will be hauled into orbit. But he is confident one of his fellow space entrepreneurs will figure it out. Wealthy visionaries like Elon Musk, who built his original fortune in PayPal, and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, are bankrolling the type of space exploration and development companies that could wind up partnering with Bigelow.

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Vegas Mogul Bigelow Goes All In on Inflatable Space Hotels

He borrowed $20000 to invest in Las Vegas apartments in the late 1960s, and built his way up from there. In 1988 Bigelow founded Budget Suites of America, a no-frills extended-stay hotel chain. As Bigelow amassed his real estate fortune, however,



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A framed photo of a 10-month-old Duran wrapped in the cape hangs proudly in his tiny living room at the Budget Suites on East Tropicana. The apartment is a monument to Superman, with everything from posters, CDs, a T-shirt collection, vintage comic



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Residents can expand their knowledge about travel at weekly Wine, Cheese and Learn events set for 6:30 pm Wednesdays at Las Vegas Resorts International ViewPointe Executive Suites, 8275 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 200. The event is free and open to the



Robert Bigelow plans for a fully functional inflatable space station by 2016 ...
Robert Bigelow plans for a fully functional inflatable space station by 2016 ...

including the Budget Suites chain of residential hotels and more than 14000 apartment and office units across the Southwest He's at work on a massive expansion of his plant in North Las Vegas that will double the amount of available floor space to




Budget Suites Las Vegas ? The Perfect Blend of Apartment Style and ...

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Budget Suites Las Vegas – The Perfect Blend of Apartment Style and Hotel Living

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There a literally hundreds of options when trying to decide upon the proper hotel arrangements when visiting a city such as Las Vegas Nevada that caters to millions of visitors and tourists annually; however, the Budget Suites Las Vegas offers a unique combination of typical hotel amenities and conveniences and long term apartment style living. Founded on the basis of trying to make it easier for individuals, be it for business or pleasure, to stay in a place long term for an affordable price without the associated hassles and strings of renting a dwelling, the Las Vegas facilities have become a popular place for those individuals who, for whatever reason, choose to stay in the city for an extended time. Available features which heighten the lodging experience include beautiful pool and fitness facilities, fully furnished suites, the inclusion of all utilities in the price of the suite, a full sized kitchen complete with dish washer, full sized refrigerator, stove, and microwave, onsite covered parking, onsite security, full property management, and available private offices with high speed internet access.

When coming to Las Vegas for an extended amount of time, your dwelling options can be limited. Pursuing a typical rental property can be complicated and expensive with the necessity of signing rental agreements and the payment of security deposits. However, traditional hotels oftentimes do not offer special discounted rates for long term residents. Therefore, staying a hotel room can be expensive because you are paying on a per night basis. Staying in a traditional hotel room can also be uncomfortable for the long term guest as the amenities are usually limited in scope. You may not have a separate kitchen or even a refrigerator, internet access could be limited, and the size of the room is for from adequate for most long term clients.

For this reason the Budget Suites Las Vegas decided to market their attractive set of characteristics to the individual who is seeking for a longer term visit than the typical tourist or businessman or woman. The most attractive feature of this situation is the inclusion of all utilities in the cost of the suite. There are no rental agreements or other contracts to sign. Therefore, a customer can decide to leave if his or her situation changes without worrying about costly penalties. The rooms also come fully furnished with a full sized kitchen with full sized appliances. Thus, the atmosphere of the room is similar to an apartment as opposed to a hotel room. This also means that the guests can travel light since everything they need is already in the suite.


Budget Suites Las Vegas - Bookshelf

Frommer's Las Vegas 2010

Frommer's Las Vegas 2010

On or Near the Strip Budget Suites of America, 4205 W. Tropicana Ave.; ... 800/ 800-8000 West Las Vegas & Vicinity Motel 6, 5085 Dean Martin Dr.; ...

Frommer's Las Vegas with Kids

Frommer's Las Vegas with Kids

Fax 702/227-8099. www.budget suites.com. 1-bedroom (3 people maximum) $69 and up daily, $239 and up weekly; ... 6 4777 S. Cameron St., Las Vegas, NV 89103. ...

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Robert Bigelow's Forty-Five-Year Plan 8 Budget Suites of Outer Space Las Vegas looks like an extraterrestrial landscape from the air—miles and miles of ...

Time Out Las Vegas

Time Out Las Vegas

Budget Suites 3684 Paradise Road, at E Twain Aeenue, East of Strip, Las Vegas, NV 89109 (reservations 1-866877 2000/ front desk 699 7000/fax 792 2611/www. ...

Frommer's 2001 Las Vegas

Frommer's 2001 Las Vegas


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Budget Suites of America
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Welcome to Budget Suites - Come Live A While
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Budget Suites of America, Las Vegas, NV : Reviews and maps ...
Budget Suites of America, Las Vegas, NV : Reviews and maps - Yahoo! Local, 702.837.2000. Get Ratings, Reviews, Photos and more on Yahoo! Local.

Budget Budget Suites - Las Vegas, NV, 89123 - Citysearch
Budget Budget Suites in Las Vegas. Come to Citysearch® to get information, directions, and reviews on Budget Budget Suites and other Apartment Rental in Las Vegas

Budget Suites of America, Las Vegas, NV : Reviews and maps ...
Budget Suites of America, Las Vegas, NV : Reviews and maps - Yahoo! Local, 702.527.4971. Get Ratings, Reviews, Photos and more on Yahoo! Local.