Sleeping on a mountain with Null Stern Hotel

The “Null Stern” (zero stars) hotel concept first hit the headlines from 2008 to 2010, and now its back in a landscape version. Conceptual artists Frank and Patrik Riklin with managing partner Daniel Charbonnier in association with tourist associations, have come up with a bed in the mountains.



Sleeping under the stars? How many of us have dreamt of this, and now you can do it in comfort thanks to the new initiative of conceptual artists Frank and Patrik Riklin and their “Atelier für Sonderaufgaben” (atelier for special missions) together with their managing partner Daniel Charbonnier from Minds in Motion.



The idea's slogan is “NULL STERN -THE ONLY STAR IS YOU” and the concept was pioneered in 2008 when the Sevelen council authorities decided to redevelop the underground nuclear bunker. To make it an attractive hotel option, local administrators decided to involve the Riklin brothers, who promptly came up with this brand new “zero stars” accommodation option, which still retained all the comfort and fine design hallmarks of the fancy many-star alternatives.



The photos - and as a result the concept - went viral overnight, bringing with them prizes and awards and leading to the association with international hotel and tourist company Minds in Motion, to market this Zero Stars Hotel. A “modern butler” was added to look after all the guests' needs, including a wake-up cup of coffee in the morning.





In 2010, the underground experience ended and the concept spread to other places, and now in 2016 we've got “Null Stern Revival” with no real estate, no walls and no roof! In association with Safiental Tourism association, an open air double bed was installed and the hotel is run by the local residents who own the bed. The concept could even be extended to other valleys in the Swiss alps, paying tribute to the natural beauty of the individual sites and spreading a new idea of scattered hospitality.



Bookings are open for a night in Safiental from 2 July 2016, with the comfort of a cosy bed, and the modern butler service, to take in the breath-taking views of the alps and the star-filled sky. Who knows if it's already booked for San Lorenzo - the night of the shooting stars?

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Frank and Patrik Riklin, Atelier für Sonderaufgaben http://www.sonderaufgaben.ch/
with Minds in Motion AG http://www.mindsinmotion.ch/
Location: Safiental, Grigioni, Switzerland
Year: 2016
Images: courtesy of  Atelier für Sonderaufgaben