Flotel

Flotel, a portmanteau of the terms floating hotel, refers to the installation of living quarters on top of rafts or semi-submersible platforms. Flotels are used as hotels on rivers or in harbour areas, or as accommodation of working people, especially in the offshore oil industry.^[1]

Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Flotels were extensively used to house cleanup workers for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.^[1] Cities along the shore in some cases were unable to accommodate the large number of workers needed for the cleanup, so BP used flotels to house some of the workers.^[1] BP told the media that flotels were convenient because they allowed workers to be close to cleanup sites, lessening travel time.^[1]

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