Switzerland’s Null Stern Hotel is an award-winning experience. Null Stern, which translates as “zero star,” specializes in eco-luxury hospitality. The company’s first hotel, in operation from 2009 to 2010, was a repurposed nuclear bunker in the city of Teufen. The idea behind the stark design is “the only star is you.” The masterminds behind this concept are twins, Frank and Patrik Riklin, and their business partner, hospitality expert Daniel Charbonnier. This year, they’ve launched an open-air hotel with stunning panoramic views of the Swiss alps of Graubünden. “Even though this version is radically different from the first one in the nuclear bunker, the essence and the spirit of the concept remains the same, ” Charbonnier told *The Telegraph*. “To put the guest at the center of the experience and to focus on the intangible by reducing everything else to the minimum.” While it seems strange, even anti-luxury, to have a room outdoors, it could be one of the best ways for a traveler to truly soak in a new place. After all, how much can one experience in an enclosed room?According to hospitality professional Daniel Charbonnier, the concept behind Null Stern is using minimalism to place the guest at the center of the experience. Without walls and a ceiling, it looks like their latest idea is as minimalist as you can get.
No, there are open-air hotels in different places around the world, but each are made distinctive by their surroundings. The original Null Stern Hotel was actually an underground nuclear bunker.
You won’t have a private restroom, but there is one available for public use about 10 minutes away. You do, however, get a butler with white gloves, a bow tie, and plenty of Röteli and slices of cured pork saucisson.
No problem. The hotel has a flexible cancellation policy in which a guest can cancel their stay due to poor weather.
Netizens seem to be divided on this experience. Some have already added it to their to-do-lists, calling it a creative use of space, while others, such as Daniel Fountain, Editor at Hotel Designs, argue “strip away amenities, décor, structures and staff – you can’t really call this a hotel.” At $253 per night, would you stay at the Null Stern Hotel?
