Delta Queen Riverboat to Become a Tennessee Hotel

Continuing with our "awesome hotels made out of weird stuff" series, the Delta Queen riverboat -- normally moored in New Orleans -- is going to become a temporary hotel in Chattanooga.

"The Delta Queen will depart New Orleans Feb. 4," said Vanessa Bloy, the Seattle-based spokeswoman for the 82-year-old boat's owners, Ambassadors International. "She should arrive in Chattanooga by Feb. 8 or 11, depending on river levels. By April, it should be open as a hotel."

The steamboat - the last of the steam-powered, paddlewheel-propelled vessels with an ornate wooden superstructure capable of accommodating passengers on overnight cruises - will be moored at the Tennessee city indefinitely. The lease, whose provisions require its steam system to be maintained and its priceless wooden and brass interior to be left intact, runs until a buyer is found. Asking price: $10 million.

Well, that's relatively nice and cheap. So it shouldn't be sitting in Chattanooga long with this wonderful economic climate rolling. Just a casual ten mil for a historical American landmark. As Harry Phillips, the guy running the steamboat in Chattanooga said, "in this economy, nobody's buying anything." 

Although maybe Citigroup needs some more corporate transportation.