There are those who aim to send rocketships to the stars, but in Southern Colorado an entrepreneur has an earthbound plan to connect with the heavens - by combining stargazing and lodging.
The first guest villa designed for astro-tourism and built from hempcrete, a lightweight material made of the inner core of the hemp plant and mixed with construction materials, is nearly finished at the Kosmos Resort in the San Luis Valley, not far from Great Sand Dunes National Park. The telescope-equipped lodging is the brainchild of former Miami and now Alamosa County businessman Gamal Jadue Zalaquett.
“It's meant to be an otherworldly experience from the very beginning. You're entering the cosmos. You're entering the universe,” he said. “The end experience, once it's all built by 2027, it's going to be the Disney World of astronomy.”
It’s in an area that may become part of a proposed Dark Sky Reserve in Southern Colorado, meaning that local communities would commit to protecting the night sky from light pollution making it easier to see the stars. Great Sand Dunes is already a recognized Dark Sky Park. Other Dark Sky designated places like Silver Cliff and Westcliffe are already capitalizing on astro-tourism.
Jadue Zalaquett said Kosmos Resort will be different though.
“We're not just going to have an astronomy coach,” he said when asked whether guests would get help using the telescopes. “I'm putting together an astronomy team.”
The plan calls for 20 lodging units featuring glass domes, hot tubs and outdoor spaces set up for night sky viewing, along with other amenities including a centralized planetarium featuring the largest non-military telescope in the state, according to Jadue Zalaquett.
He said he believes that the San Luis Valley can become a niche market that can support the starting price of $700 a night for a room at Kosmos Resort.
More than 1,600 people helped Jadue Zalaquett raise nearly $2 million to launch the project using crowdfunding to pre-sell reservations at a discounted price. Funding came in mostly from people in the United States, but a handful of participants were from as far away as Singapore and Australia, according to data provided by the Kosmos team. Jadue Zalaquett estimates the cost to build the whole project is upwards of $13 million.
The rural location is near Mosca, set in flat terrain with open views of the sky and the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and the San Juan range to the west. Jadue Zalaquett envisions an upscale all-inclusive getaway, along with a spa and other facilities on this dry landscape dotted with scrubby vegetation.
He said part of his purpose is community building and increasing the local economic viability, including creating both jobs and learning opportunities.
“I am very open to employing people that need a second chance,” he said. “Good people that the system perhaps did not allow them a second chance. Perhaps somebody who has a felony or somebody that's homeless.”
He’s planning to offer hempcrete building workshops and would also like to partner with Adams State University in Alamosa to help grow an astronomy program there.
But, he also imagines bringing in outside talent, like chefs and astronomy experts, and eventually offering onsite employee lodging.
He expects to host the first guests this winter and completion of the entire project by 2027.
- Browns Canyon National Monument in Southern Colorado is now an International Dark Sky Park
- Celebrate the stars, planets and galaxies around Colorado during Dark Sky Month
- Two Colorado towns look to preserve view of starry nights
- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Is Southern Colorado's Latest Dark Sky Park
