- What originally started as an art installation has evolved into a
hotel brand with seven beds across EasternSwitzerland . - The beds come with a
butler but no walls and no roof. The focus is on the experience, not the tangible, a co-founder of Zero Real Estate told Insider. - The rooms, which open in July, start at 295 Swiss francs (about $310) a night.
A night's stay might include breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps or a sunset over a hillside vineyard.
But what it doesn't include is walls or a roof.
Zero Real Estate is a set of hotel suites founded by
The idea was to strip down the traditional concept of a hotel and focus on the experience, Charbonnier told Insider.
'Let's make Switzerland the walls,' one co-founder told Insider
The idea originated from a pop-up art installation called Null Stern (Zero Stars).
In 2009, Frank and Patrik built an art installation in an underground nuclear bunker. Charbonnier saw the idea and recognized it as an experience that many people are searching for.
"For me, the concept spoke to me as a hotel professional," Charbonnier said. "All across the segmentation of hotels, from camping to two stars to palaces, I felt the value system for guests shifted from being tangible aspects to experiences and intangible aspects."
The trio built a hotel in the underground nuclear bunkers, with 14 beds that cost about $25 a night.
While the rooms were affordable, Charbonnier describes the guests as willing and wanting to pay more for the experience.
Charbonnier has worked in the hotel industry for years. "I used to give guests gold and crystal and marble and still it was difficult to get money from them," Charbonnier. This was the first time he ever watched guests offering to pay more.
"If I can make people happy in a nuclear bunker it really demonstrated for me that what matters is the experience," he said.
Charbonnier, Frank, and Patrik decided to close the bunker and move to a new idea with the same core purpose.
They moved the experience outside to a wall-less room. In 2016, an open-air hotel was added 6,463 feet above sea level to the Swiss Alps mountainside.
Now, called Zero Real Estate, the project has a total of seven beds in seven different locations across Eastern Switzerland. Each room starts at 295 Swiss francs, or $310, a night, and the rooms open in July.
Charbonnier, Frank, and Patrik partner with local tourism offices to create and select the space. In just one day, two of the rooms sold out through 2020, and there are now 9,000 people on a waiting list, Charbonnier said.
Charbonnier said a key element to the hotel's design is a 'modern butler'
"I wanted to show that the one thing we will not compromise on is providing tailored guest services, even in the most extreme environment," he said.
Each hotel is managed by a local resident, who provides guests with information about the region and anything they need.
"The modern butler has a key role, he's always close by," Charbonnier said.
If it rains, the butler is there to help them move into an on-site enclosed room. If guests are hungry, the butler is there with food. If the guests want information about the best hiking trails or local restaurants, once again, a butler is there to help.
Each butler goes through a training process during which they learn how to make beds in strong winds and cross creeks with a tray of food.
"It's the simplicity of the experience with the exclusive service," Charbonnier said. "At the end of the day, the concept puts the guests at the center."
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