Tourists ride past the Desert Lotus Hotel under construction in Xiangshawan Desert, also called Sounding Sand Desert on July 17, 2013, in Ordos of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

Xiangshawan Desert in the Inner Mongolia region of China probably isn't the first place you'd look at for a vacation. In the wintertime, temperatures are frigid with frequent blizzards, and the summertime brings hot, dry weather that can cause huge sandstorms. Yet those conditions are exactly what make the Lotus Hotel so unique.

The repetitive white tiles of the hotel give the building the look of a flower, unfolding its petals above the desert. To deal with the constantly shifting sands, the Lotus Hotel is supported by a steel skeleton anchored in the sand without any water or concrete. Some of the construction materials also incorporate desert elements, such as a wall-covering material made from sand, says the PLaT Architecture firm that designed the hotel.

"In consideration of structure, shading and wind, we integrated function, form and landscape, resulting in a form of lotus," the firm says.

The Desert Lotus Hotel, which is still under construction, is only one attraction of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Naturalists and curious travelers also come to hear the desert's Sounding Sands, a phenomenon that occurs when wind pushes sand down dunes and creates a sound like the humming of a car engine, reported LiveScience.

Tourists can also enjoy a camel ride over the dunes and see performances by dancers dressed in traditional Mongolian clothes.

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