Dubliner Alvin White Orbaek (26) has been part of an international team which plans to open the first space hotel in the galaxy in 2012.

At a cost of 2.9m for a three-day stay, guests will be able to travel around the world in 80 minutes, during which time they will see the sun rise 15 times a day, as well as making use of the onboard spa and pool area, and taking part in scientific experiments on space travel.

"It's an incredible project, " said White Orbaek. "Scientists and engineers were working alongside architects to decide not just what was feasible, but also what the limits were to what could be designed. It was a dream job. At times I couldn't believe that I was being paid to do it."

The Dalkey man, who did a degree in experimental physics in NUI Galway before starting his doctorate in nanotechnology in Rice University, Texas, has just returned to his studies after spending two months working as an engineer on the project. He advised on issues such as life-support systems, mission planning, food and health issues, space engineering and environmental control.

He had previously taken part in a space camp run by the European Space Agency in Strasbourg, which gathers together some of the world's brightest researchers who are interested in space research. It was through his involvement with the camp that he was asked to work on the space hotel.

An anonymous backer has provided much of the 2.19bn needed by Galactic Suite, the company which is designing and building the hotel. Prospective guests will have to go through eight weeks of intensive training at a space camp on a tropical island before they blast off into space.

One of the main challenges was how to provide the services that guests would expect in an earth hotel, such as showers and bathrooms.

"Guests will be able to enter a room with a weightless swimming pool . . . water will just float around the room, " said White Orbaek. "The architects were very interested in having this, so when they designed it, we had to figure out how to make it work."

And while he may never get to stay there, the scientist is optimistic that the hotel will be a success: "Obviously there are a lot of people who have the money who want to go into space, and there aren't people providing it for them yet."

The hotel is scheduled to open for business on 12 December 2012.