ULYSSIA is building a unique community of like-minded people —buoyed by prestigious partner brands and exceptional experiences.
“We see ourselves as a travelling Monaco,” says Alain Gruber, CEO of ULYSSIA Residences. “Monaco is quite representative of us. It’s very international; you’ve got people from all over the world living here who are successful and interested in the yachting lifestyle. It’s so very community driven with lots of social events, and it’s a hub for philanthropic efforts and global initiatives. We aim to create the same community on board ULYSSIA.”
ULYSSIA is arguably the most unique residential yacht project in the world. With just 133 residences and an incredible offering of facilities, services and travel opportunities, the 320 m vessel will serve as a permanent base for a curated group of like-minded people interested in experiencing a new way of living—at sea.
The marine masterpiece—which won our 2024 Best of the Best Award for Best Floating Residence—was envisioned by Swiss-born Monaco resident Frank Binder, a lifelong yachtsman, trained architect and entrepreneur. To create ULYSSIA, Binder brought together the greatest minds from the worlds of naval architecture, design and hospitality.
“Frank Binder set the vision to ensure we are the very best in the world at what we do,” says Gruber. “We went through an extensive period looking at all the best people in their fields and, ultimately, I believe we have chosen the very best. We had to make sure that everybody aligns with the project, or in themselves, are icons of their industry.”
These icons include German shipyard Meyer Werft—scheduled to commence construction of the vessel this year—and naval architect Espen Øino, also a Monaco resident, who has designed some of the most celebrated superyachts on the seas and led on the yacht’s design.
The Best of the Best
When bringing to life Binder’s vision for ULYSSIA, Øino took inspiration from his most iconic yacht projects. “From the start, it was our objective to be inspired by the superyacht industry and to make it look like a yacht and not like a cruise ship,” says Binder.
One of the challenges was to ensure that despite having 15 decks, the vessel would look sleek on the water. Øino’s solution was to alternate two dark-hue decks with one white deck, to create an almost slimming pattern. “From the distance, it looks half as big as it is,” says Binder. “We wanted it to look elegant —and I think we have achieved that.”
In a nod to modern superyacht design trends, the designer opened the aft of the vessel to create a large marina in the style of a yacht ‘beach club’. He also installed two full-size pickleball courts—a special request from Frank— as well as a grand two-storey entrance to create a ‘wow’ moment on entry, and a vertical bow with liveable spaces offering exceptional views. “The whole design has a certain grandeur to it,” Binder says. “It’ll be an experience from the moment you enter the yacht.”
When planning for hospitality and services, the ULYSSIA team cherrypicked prestigious partners across all sectors. These include VistaJet, one of the world’s foremost private aviation charter companies and boasting a large global reach. The yacht’s spa will be managed by Swiss wellness brand Chenot, which is creating preventative and rejuvenating health and wellness programmes that can be customised to each individual. “This will allow us to maximise their time on board and keep them healthy and be preventative with their health, rather than deal with problems later,” says Gruber.
The team has also invested heavily in medical technology on board, creating a full operating medical theatre and clinic alongside the health and wellness and spa elements.
For activities off the yacht, ULYSSIA has partnered with leading adventure travel company EYOS Expeditions, which brings decades of experience in marine and land expeditions. It has also created a global alliance with private chauffeur service Blacklane to ensure a seamless journey wherever in the world residents go.
“With all these partners, we know that our clients are going to be well taken care of,” Gruber says. “They’re going to get that first-class experience from the minute they interact with our partners and that will transcend into what we develop on the yacht in terms of programming amenities and how we bring the incredible destinations we visit to life”.
Life at Sea
There are currently plans in place for 133 private homes and 22 guest suites, ranging from one to six bedrooms —some of which could be combined on request. In principle, clients can design their residence in any way they want, although the ULYSSIA team has created partnerships with a spectrum of designers across the globe to simplify the process. Lead interior designer both across residences and public spaces, Italy’s FM Architettura, will work alongside Monaco’s Sabrina Monte-Carlo, NICOLEHOLLIS in San Francisco, and Kravitz Design in New York, among others.
Owners can also, to some extent, be involved in the creation of the communal areas—for instance, restaurant cuisine may be swayed by the culture and demands of the owners. Importantly, owners will all be invited to get involved with the yacht’s itinerary, set three years in advance and created by an itinerary committee which will put their suggestions to a vote. “We’ll take note of everything that the owners want and try to make it happen if is it’s possible,” says Gruber.
ULYSSIA plans to travel slowly and touch every continent, visiting between 100 and 130 destinations over three years. “We’ll focus on taking our time,” says Binder. “We don’t want to rush from one place to the next like a cruise ship. We really want the owners to have the time to experience each place.”
While a cruise ship might spend a few hours in each port, ULYSSIA could spend a week or even more, allowing residents to explore thoroughly and even disembark for a few days to discover land-locked destinations. “We want to show people that there’s a whole different way to travel authentically,” says Gruber. “We want people to discover what’s well beyond the port and give you access to other parts of inland countries.”
Sense of Community
To date, nearly 40 percent of apartments have already been reserved ahead of ULYSSIA’s 2029 launch. During the sales process, the ULYSSIA team noticed that the age group of future residents has dropped “significantly” from expectations, so plans have been adapted to meet demands. “We are expecting quite a lot of families with teenagers or younger kids, so we have invested heavily in education on board and youth facilities throughout the vessel,” says Gruber. Families can feel comfortable that while they travel the world, their children are going to get an education that is second to none.
Anticipating younger people who are still active in business, ULYSSIA has also invested in communications technologies. “We want to make sure that wherever we travel in the world, they can still connect to their offices and businesses,” he says.
Founder Binder will be the first resident to live on the yacht, proving that he’s not only talking the talk but walking the walk. “Frank is going to live the lifestyle—and that gives us a lot of credibility when we’re meeting with future residents,” says Gruber. “They’re not just meeting with a transactional commercial developer; they’re meeting with the people that are going to operate—and live on board—the vessel in the future. And they want to make sure it’s done right because it’ll be their home, too.”
And this is why the community is so fundamentally important. With all the incredible designers and prestigious partners in the world, it’ll be the ULYSSIA collective that really makes the yacht a home. We’re going through this extensive curation process to hand-select this community of like-minded, adventurous people from all over the world that would like to share the experience together,” says Gruber.
