Switzerland’s No-Star (Null Stern) Hotel

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Null Stern Hotel - Entrance Area

In the Swiss town of Sevelen, population 4000, you can stay for the night in an interesting no-frills kind of way – in a nuclear bomb shelter deep underground. With the threat of nuclear confrontation gone with the collapse of communism, the bunkers are viewed by most Swiss towns as nothing more than a deep hole on the municipal budget. artist brothers Frank and Patrik Riklin started the hotel to help solve that problem.

From the UK Sun:

Guests at the no-frills establishment will have to put up with hot water bottles rather than central heating. They will be given a pair of EARPLUGS to help blot out the racket from the ventilation system. Standard beds at the austere Null Stern (No Star) hotel in Sevelen, near Zurich, Switzerland, are military-style bunks.

Front Door

Eleven pounds extra buys a “luxury” room, with “antique” beds from a condemned hotel. Complimentary slippers are provided for walking across the icy concrete floors — while customers enter a draw to decide who gets the luxury of a hot morning shower. There are no windows – the only view of the outside world is via a row of monitors in reception.

The bed-and-no-breakfast hotel began life as an art project by twins Frank and Patrik Riklin. They turned it into a full-time business when interest grew, and plan to welcome their first guests early in the new year. They could convert 11 more bunkers if the first proves a success.

A First Class Room

NPR:

Most of the guests were native German speakers. In fact, the 24-point code of conduct at the Null Stern is written in German. One of the codes is to expect surprises. Another is that the guests select the bedtime by taking the average amount of sleep everyone wants, then subtracting it from the mandatory 7 a.m. wake-up call.

And then there’s the Glucksrad, the Null Stern version of Wheel of Fortune; guests spin an old bike wheel to see who gets which bed. Some have more padding and nicer duvets.