The world's first 'zero-star hotel' - in a former nuclear bunker in Switzerland - may soon be a global chain.
The The Null Stern Hotel is an invention by Swiss artists Frank and Patrik Riklin, who recently announced that they have entered a business partnership with an international hospitality advisory and services firm to take the hotel concept worldwide.
The original hotel was a town project which cost $73,600 to estalish, with credit approved by the population of the town of Sevelen.
Despite its 'zero' rating, the bunker was made cosy with wooden beds, lamps and hotel-style quilts. Its shared bathroom has been adorned with a fountain which is decorated with floating flowers
To combat the gloom caused by the absence of windows and natural light, a live camera broadcasts images from the outside world onto a large screen inside.
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The hotel is aims to attract guests with 'modest' incomes, with a nightly rate of between $9 and $13. It is also open as a museum during the day.
"Using the weapon of art, we have created a low-budget hotel, which has charm, takes into account guests' individual wishes and thus becomes quite something," twin brothers Frank and Patrik Riklin told the Associated Press.
The bunker had been disused most of the time prior to , and occasionally used for military training.
"The maintenance costs loads of money," said Town Mayor Roman Zogg.
The hotel will host cultural events and ski and hiking camps and has good chances of success, Zogg added.
Swiss law dictates that staff must be able to re-convert the bunker into a nuclear shelter within 24 hours in case of emergency.
