They Started Building the World's Tallest Hotel in 1987 — No One Has Ever Slept in It

In 1987, North Korea began building the tallest hotel on Earth — a 105-story pyramid that was meant to announce the country's arrival on the world stage. Almost four decades and three quarters of a billion dollars later, not a single guest has ever spent the night. This is the full story of the Ryugyong Hotel: why it was built, why it stopped, and why it still stands empty over Pyongyang today. Every claim sourced. Every number verified. They Started Building the World's Tallest Hotel in 1987 — No One Has Ever Slept in It Abandoned Billions tells the true stories behind the world's most expensive failures — the megaprojects that were meant to change everything, and were left to rot instead. Skyscrapers that were never finished. Cities built for a million people and left empty. Airports, dams, bridges and towers that swallowed billions of dollars and delivered nothing but ruins. Every week we investigate one of them: how it was dreamed up, who paid for it, why it collapsed — and what stands there today. No hype. No fluff. Every claim sourced, every number verified. If you're fascinated by ambition that ended in ruin, subscribe. There's always another one. New video every week. [email protected]