Feature

It’s a country with a penchant for theme hotels and spectacularly odd buildings. Make no mistake, the country that invented LSD is more than capable of inventing accommodation that looks like it was designed whilst under the influence of it...

The cross-border bed
Where: Hotel Arbez Franco-Suisse

It’s a small mercy that the Europeans aren’t quite as tetchy about border crossing formalities as they once were. If things started getting pernickety again, this cross-border hotel would be a nightmare – imagine having to get your passport stamped every time you go for breakfast. The Arbez Franco-Suisse sits in a rather unique position, directly on top of the border. The rooms are divided into ‘French’ and ‘Swiss’ apart from the honeymoon suite. That’s in both nations, and the boundary line cuts the bed neatly in two. And who could resist consummating a marriage in two countries at once?
More information: www.arbezie-hotel.com

The Zero Star hotel
Where: Null Stern Hotel

Note: The Null Stern Hotel in Teufen closed on 4th June, 2010 with plans to reopen in urban locations soon. The original hotel is now a museum.

They’ve had a couple of trial runs, and Swiss twins Frank and Patrik Riklin are now preparing to properly open the world’s first zero star hotel. The artist duo have essentially just stuck a few beds into a nuclear bunker, and they’re not pulling any punches about the standards, although they do range from "luxury" (beds from closed-down 4 or 5 star hotels in the region), "first class" (antique beds), to "standard" (military bunk beds). Guests are given ear plugs to block out the noise of the ventilation system, showers are communal and and an entertaining "Wheel of Fate" system is used to decide the showering order. Oh yes, and there are no windows either. They can’t furnish it too much, as under Swiss law they have to be able to convert it back into a nuclear bunker within 24 hours. Still – it’ll be cheap. Prices start at around 10 Swiss Francs per night.
More information: www.null-stern-hotel.ch

The free-for-all design hotel
Where: Hotel Otter, Zurich

Any hotel above a pub which has a cow bone as a door handle and random plastic snakes all over the place is bound to be a little eccentric. But the Hotel Otter surpasses all expectations. Each room has been designed completely differently, and the basic policy is that they just let local artists, DJs and staff members run riot and do what they fancy. This leads to one room looking like it’s come directly from 1001 Nights, with Middle Eastern furniture, star-spangled minarets painted on the walls and liberally splattered Arabic script. Other rooms have themes such as ‘Japan’, ‘Pop’, ‘Marilyn Monroe’ and ‘Heaven and Hell’. All are utterly flamboyant, although not quite as garish as the room that’s painted entirely in pink. What’s more, two of the rooms are completely redesigned each year, so there’s always somewhere new to stay.
More information: www.wueste.ch

The prison
Where: Jailhotel Löwengraben, Lucerne

The old prison in Lucerne has been converted into a hotel, and there’s a still a bit of a guard/ prisoner divide. At the more luxurious end of the scale, the warden’s room, visitor’s room and library have been done up stylishly. For the naughty boys and girls – or at least the ones that haven’t got quite as much to splash out – there is the option of staying in the Unplugged rooms. These still have the barred windows and heavy wooden doors with the bolts across. The owners have thoughtfully done up the Unplugged rooms so that they’re as close as possible to the original cells, which is either cool or overly primitive, depending on your viewpoint.
More information: www.jailhotel.ch

The space-age tents
Where: Whitepod, Villars, Vaud Canton

The whitepods are an odd cross between hotel room, tent and igloo, stuck out on their own in the middle of the Swiss Alps. Heated by wooden stoves and insulated with ultra-geeky modern technology, the ‘pods’ are surprisingly comfortable – even if they can only be accessed by foot or on skis. And then in the middle of all the mini-pods is a bigger one. This is the spa centre, and thus the strangest looking massage tent on earth. The resort is keen to boast of its eco-credentials - the coverings of the pods are green in summer and white in winter to match the landscape, for example. It’s also rather activity-orientated, with a private ski run and snow-shoeing amongst the options.
More information: www.whitepod.com

For more information on all of Switzerland, visit our destination guide

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About the writer:

Since winning the Guardian Student Travel Writer of the Year award in 2001, David has been published in newspapers and magazines across the world, including the Sunday Times, Sydney Morning Herald and the Boston Globe.