Whether staying at a luxury resort or a budget motel, guests may think the most integral element of a hotel is a private place to sleep. But one open-air hotel is challenging this very idea by removing walls and a roof altogether.
Null Stern is the creation of brothers and conceptual artists Frank and Patrik Riklin, who partnered with hospitality professional Daniel Charbonnnier in the creation of this hotel ‘room’. Staying there you can expect a restless night filled with traffic, noise and the dreamy aroma of gasoline, located between a gas station and busy intersection. The hotel features only a bed with linens and purposefully lacks a door, ceiling, or walls. The conceptual art piece is designed to keep you up so you have time to reflect and contemplate current social, economic and environmental issues. Guests shouldn’t expect to feel comfortable as they are surrounded by traffic and surveilled by passers-by.
This hotel room is another iteration of the three founders “zero real estate suites”, which first launched in 2008 as part of their Null Stern Hotel. The three preceding suites include a queen bed on a platform and two nightstands, with the Swiss Alps and breathtaking Saillon landscape painting the wallpaper to create picturesque overnight stays in a glamorous camping-like experience.
The newest installation takes a completely different approach as an anti-idyllic suite - located in Valais, Switzerland and probing guests to consider the origins and consequences of beauty, comfort and safety.
At the offbeat accommodations, the guest is the centre of the stay as Null Stern’s slogan states “The only star is you”. In German, the hotel’s name translates to “zero stars”, affirming the founders philosophy that the real star of the hotel is the guest themselves. Without walls, doors or a ceiling, the only thing left is the guest and their experience.
Lacking the magnificent scenery of Null Stern’s other suites, along with other common hotel amenities, at Valais guests may find comfort in an on-site butler who plays a central role in the experience. At all of the zero real estate suites, a butler facilitates requests and provides meals during a guests stay. At Valais, the presence of a butler may provide guests with a sense of security in the exposed environment.
There are currently over 6000 eager guests on the waitlist to spend an evening at the minimalist hotel. An anti-idyllic stay costs 325 Swiss Francs, just under NZD$550. The founders hope guests consider their stay an investment in their views on the world.
Information and bookings at nullsternhotel.ch
