Vassar heiress plans world leader oasis in Nevada desert

Will Gordon Brown and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad soon be holidaying together? A purpose-built hotel aimed at the most niche clientele in the world - presidents and PMs - is to be built among the pink rocks of the Nevada desert. Called The Universitas Leadership Sanctuary, it is the brainchild of Donna Vassar, a member of the family who founded the Liberal Arts college of the same name.

Donna is attempting to raise £150m from private donors to fund the building, which, as the early artist’s impression shows, looks like an old set from Star Trek. Described as a 'four-storey globe', it will include a number of libraries, contemplation spaces, and debating chambers. It will even boast a garden where world leaders will be encouraged to cultivate plants and till the soil together as a means of achieving greater communion and understanding.

One of the architects, Laurie Chetwood, who - worryingly - made his name designing eco-friendly supermarkets for Sainsbury's, says: "This place is designed to strip away the layers of protocol that build up around these kind of people and help them get back to clarity." (Continued below)

It is not yet known whether leaders' wives and husbands will be allowed to check in; Carla and Sarko could prove disruptive to the monastic calm.