[1] It is mainly used for the ESO (European Southern Observatory) scientists and engineers who work there on a roster system.

[4] The architect was the Chilean-born Hernán Marchant, a current Professor and Associate Dean at North Carolina State University, the architecture firm was Auer+Weber+Assoziierte of Germany and constructor was Vial y Vives Ltda.

The people there work in extreme climatic conditions including intense sunlight, dryness, high wind speeds and great fluctuations in temperature.

Also visible is a slightly raised dome comprising a steel skeleton that measures 35 meters (115 ft) in diameter.

The hotel's exterior was featured in the 2008 Bond film Quantum of Solace,[4] in which the structure was depicted as the "Perla de Las Dunas" fictional eco-hotel in Bolivia.