The Most Terrifying and Beautiful Hotel Room Has No Walls or Ceiling
A hotel stay in Switzerland usually brings to mind mountain lodges, polished suites, and balconies overlooking the Alps. In the village of Saillon in the canton of Valais, however, one unusual room throws that idea out the window. Guests pay about 325 Swiss francs per night for a stay that includes butler service, drinks, and breakfast, and thousands of people are already on the waiting list.
The surprising part is the room itself. There are no walls, no ceiling, and no traditional building at all. The setup is simply a double bed placed on a raised platform in the open air, right beside a roadside petrol station. The experience runs from July 1 to September 18, where noise complaints are expected, and sleep is never guaranteed.
A Room That Refuses To Be A Room
Swiss twin artists Frank Riklin and Patrik Riklin created the concept as part of their “Null Stern” project, which translates to “zero star” in German. They worked with hotelier Daniel Charbonnier to turn the idea into a functioning booking experience rather than a one-night stunt. The setup is a bed, two bedside tables, lamps, no walls, no ceiling, and no doors. Passing cars and glowing fuel price signs replace the usual hotel background.
This roadside version, launched in June 2022, marked their first explicitly “anti-idyllic” location. Earlier installations placed beds in scenic Swiss countryside, including a vineyard and a hillside in Saillon. Those settings offered open-air beauty. Frank Riklin made the intention clear at launch: sleep is not the point; reflection is.
Paying To Stay Awake
The brothers designed the space to provoke thought about climate change, war, and society’s constant pursuit of perfection. Guests lie in what they call a “half sleep,” aware of traffic, light, and exposure, and the discomfort acts as a prompt.
It sounds extreme, yet demand tells another story. More than 6,500 people joined the waiting list despite the nightly rate of 325 Swiss francs. That equals roughly 322 euros or about £275 at the time of reporting in June 2022. The suite even includes butler service. A staff member delivers drinks and breakfast to the exposed platform.
Beauty Meets Unease
Image via Pixabay/Darbagan
Calling the experience unsettling is fair because nothing separates guests from the surroundings. There are no walls to block weather, headlights from passing cars sweep across the bed, and conversations from the nearby road carry through the night. Privacy is minimal.
At the same time, the open setting creates the appeal. The sky sits directly overhead and the Alps rise nearby, giving guests an uninterrupted view of the landscape. The creators, the Riklin brothers, describe the project as a statement about modern tourism and development. It removes the usual comforts of a hotel and turns the environment itself into the main feature of the stay.