This 'Zero-Star Hotel' Will Really Make You Think

That's the goal, anyway, of art installation by twin brothers erected next to Swiss gas station
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 28, 2022 6:08 PM CDT

Some people think best in the shower. Others may find they do their best ruminating while lying in bed in the middle of the street next to a gas station. The latter is what Frank and Patrik Riklin are banking on, anyway, with a concept they hope will spur people to reflect on the world's most profound problems. Reuters reports on the Null Stern suite, a "zero-star hotel" art installation located in Saillon, Switzerland, that has everything most people don't want: traffic noise, people wandering by, no protection from the elements. What it does have: a double-size bed on the road, with two nightstands and accompanying lamps. The twins purposely designed their suite to be "anti-idyllic," to make patrons think about such heavy topics as climate change and war.

"Sleep is not the point," Frank Riklin says. "Staying here is a statement about the need for urgent changes in society." The conceptual artists designed their odd accommodations alongside hotelier Daniel Charbonnier as an extension of their "Zero Real Estate" project, a more pleasant-sounding "glamping" experience that currently has thousands of guests on its waiting list, per Architectural Digest. A night's stay in the "anti-idyllic" version will run you about $340, but you do get a butler with that who will "[provide] a sense of security and care in an environment of insecurity," Charbonnier says. Drinks and breakfast will be served during patron stays, which will be up for reservation starting Friday through Sept. 18. (More strange stuff stories.)

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