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The roar of passing traffic, the glare of constant overhead lighting and the promise of sub-zero temperatures are what lie in store for guests at Switzerland's Null Stern Hotel. This hotel has no walls or roof and is next to a garage forecourt – but it'll cost you R6 000 a night.
The "anti-idyllic" suite – basically a double bed on a platform adjacent to the forecourt of a petrol station in Valais, Switzerland – is the brainchild of conceptual artists and brothers Frank and Patrik Riklin and hotelier Daniel Charbonnier.
The suite, which doubles as an art installation, follows three other similar creations by the trio around Switzerland since 2008, including in an unused nuclear bunker.
Their newest suite includes a butler who serves guests a welcome drink and organic finger foods. For breakfast, he'll serve a pastry with fruit juice.
If the weather is too unpleasant to bear, the booking makes provision for a transfer to a nearby four-star hotel, Hotel des Bains de Saillon.
The idea behind the suite, the trio say, is to challenge guests to reflect on social, economic and environmental issues, like climate change, the war in Ukraine and the exploding cost of living.
"We felt it was not possible to only show beautiful things like everything was perfect. The world is still beautiful, but we are all living through a terrible and scary time. We wanted to create a new version that encapsulates that," Daniel told Newsweek.
"The purpose is not to sleep, it's to keep you awake. To keep you awake to think, to reflect. To reflect on yourself on how you eat, how you travel, what you want in life, what you want society to be, whatever. Whatever topic that matters to you."
The installation is a non-profit project which, Daniel said, "is supported by the local authorities and the mayor, who wanted to give the space to promote his region".
"The revenue is barely enough to pay the butler and to the operating costs. A lot of the logistical costs were actually investments from the community into this project."
When it comes to guests' safety, the trio simply tell people about the obvious risks of sleeping outdoors.
"There is a certain risk," said Daniel.
"And we hold guests responsible, to an extent. We're in a world where you need a disclaimer for everything: 'Oh I wasn't aware, oh it's not my fault'.
"With us, it's the other way around. We are upfront. In this room you are by a gas station, you can see photos, you can go onto Google earth, you know where you are. We have called it anti-idyllic in case you were not sure."
SOURCES: GESSATO, Architectural Digest, Newsweek, YouTube, Null Stern Hotel
