23 Unique Hotel Concepts

23. ZERO Box Lodge – Boxing In Your Room Or Snorkelling On The Rooftop?

Your room comes with boxing gloves, a punching bag, and a set of snorkeling kits. Sounds weird? Wait until you read the whole story.

The punching bag can turn your room into a mini-gym, and that snorkeling kit you have received is for some fun on the rooftop.

Zero Box Lodge even has a free room, but there is a "small catch".

Yes, you guessed it right; the large glass wall is wide open to the public areas where anyone can watch you sleep, or...

This Portuguese hotel decided to place a large water tank on the rooftop, and - as you have probably already guessed – this is where you can take a dip, cool down, and swim underwater. Neat!

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22. The Proposal Zurich – The Giant Fat Man

Forget about the usual hotel concept, where they try to dedicate as much space as possible to your room. At the Proposal Zürich, you can try to squeeze yourself for a good night's sleep in the tiny bedroom upstairs or use the van outside, which has been converted into a double bed.

All the rest of the property is for art. That's the main focus of this project, even if it's a giant inflatable fat man that takes away space from you.

The inflated giant man creeping the hell out of the brave guests.

If the giant man is too much to digest, a van with a tightly fitted double bed is parked outside.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Zürich, Switzerland-

21. The New Monte Rosa Hut – Mountain Lodge With Human Heating System

Architects from Lucerne University and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology created this brilliant crystal shape, which is angled to bring sunlight to the beautiful wooden interior.

The sun is aimed to keep you warm, as the heating system is you, thanks to the technologically advanced wall isolation.

The crystal-shaped exterior of the Monte Rosa Hütte with the pyramid-shaped Matterhorn peak in the background.

The concept is that your evaporating and radiating body heat is insulated within the building walls holding the temperature steady.

In return, the New Monte Rosa Hut gives you a majestic view of the Gorner Glacier and a cozy place to sleep. I call that a well-functioning symbiosis!

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Zermatt, Switzerland-

20. The Dunant Hotel – Let The Design Speak For Itself!

It is advertised as a 0-star hotel (this concept seems to be sticky; see Null Stern Hotel further below), but the Dunant Hotel is not exactly how you would imagine it.

They want you to come, observe, and experience the structures and design details without prejudice served by a star-rating system.

It's like when you meet a new person, and someone tells you, "He is a 4." Dunant wants you to make up your own mind. So, how would you rate it?

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19. The Beaumont Hotel – Listen To Your Breath

The Beaumont Hotel could very well be the typical five-star hotel near Hyde Park in London if it were not for something very dark and silent that it keeps inside.

Antony Gormley, a famous British sculptor, was hired to design an extraordinary suite for the Beaumont Hotel.

Working with a sculptor instead of an interior designer in a hotel suite might be strange, but there is a good reason for it.

The Gormley's ROOM was designed as a large sculpture where you can experience the artwork all around you.

Do you hate the city's noise and wish you were on an uninhabited island? The Gormley's room is so noise-isolated that you will hear your breath. It is just the right place to meditate.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in London-

18. The Ark – Noah And His Wild Animals

The Ark Lodge developed a new type of Safari. A Safari that comes to you. If you are not into bumpy rides on a Jeep in the Indonesian heat, this place is for you.

The hotel is situated in the Aberdare National Park overlooking the Yasabara waterhole, where the show happens.

The reservoir is a natural magnet for wildlife, as this is where all the different animal species try to get some water. So all you have to do is get a nice drink, lay down on the panoramic terrace, and enjoy the view.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Kenya-

17. The 12 Decades Hotel – History In Your Room

The 12 Decades Hotel takes you on time travel into Johannesburg's vibrant and sometimes turbulent history.

The twelve rooms and three apartments/penthouses are all uniquely designed to represent a significant era of Jo'burg between 1886 and 2006. The themed rooms include names like "Minehouse" and "Perpetual Liberty", each of them telling a tale of history.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Johannesburg, South Africa-

16. Rotel – The Hotel On Wheels

The German company Rotel has been operating since 1945. They designed custom-made trucks, sometimes including a colossal trailer, to accommodate people inside small compartments. It's like the Japanese capsule hotel concept, but it's on the move.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Germany-

15. Null Stern Hotel – Hotel Without A Star

Looking at the photo, you might question how this could be in Switzerland, as the country has lavish, high-class hotels designed to impress and serviced to perfection.

Well, this is precisely the point of the artistic entrepreneur brothers Frank and Patrik Riklin.

They created the Zero Star Hotel as a stark contrast to all of that. A place where, according to them, the only star is you. Or, if you count the nights, then the billions of stars above you.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Switzerland-

14. Million Donkey Hotel – Honoring Donkeys In Prata Sannita

Austrian architects and local volunteers came up with a brilliant challenge to build a hotel in just a month. The name is dedicated to honoring the work done by donkeys, as without them, the project would not have been feasible—it aimed to bring back tourists to the Italian town of Prata Sannita.

You can roll a bed on wheels into a cage suspended from the main wall. Open-air nap? Yes, please!

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Italy-

13. Manakau PurePod – All Alone In The Middle Of Nothing

There are escape resorts far away from towns, and then there is the Manakau PurePod. It's located in the heart of the Seaward Kaikōura Mountain Range, about a 2.5-hour drive from Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island of New Zealand.

You are, in fact, so remote that if you climb the tallest hills nearby, you will still not see signs of civilization.

It's just you (and someone you like) and Mother Nature.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Kaikoura, New Zealand-

12. Les Cols Pavellons – Glass Lovers Rejoice!

Set near the Garrotxa Volcanic Nature Reserve in northern Spain, Les Cols Pavellons has some out-of-this-world architectural designs.

The five pavilions use glass as the primary material to create the living space for the guests.

However, the unique design is not all. Your room includes a heated onsen (Japanese pool), a private bathroom, and a comfortable futon mat.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Spain-

11. IceHotel – Hotel That's Rebuilt Each Year

Every year, Swedish Lapland hosts a creative festival of artists, designers, and architects who push the boundaries of building an ice hotel.

The remarkable creations only last for a brief time in winter and melt away to give the next generation of architects, designers, and artists a chance to come up with even better ideas.

The ice is sourced from a local river, and its beauty is that when it melts, it goes back to where it belongs, to Mother Nature.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Sweden-

10. Hotel Not Hotel – Yes, But No, But Yes

It seems like an identity crisis, but upon further inspection, you conclude that it makes sense. The Hotel Not Hotel is located in central Amsterdam, and it's an artist's paradise. The rooms, hallways, and lounge areas are part of a large art installation.

The choice of your room is like the choice of your art preference. If you ever felt so tired at an art exhibition that you could fall asleep, this is your time to act on it.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Amsterdam, Netherlands-

9. Hotel Everland – The First Hotel Tour

Hotel Everland is a project by artist duo Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann, better known as L/B. It was the first-ever hotel tour in the world.

The hotel changed locations, and people could book one of the 1000 nights between 2006-2009 in Yverdon, Leipzig, and Paris.

Hotel Everland was often placed on the rooftop of art galleries with unparalleled views like the skyline of Paris or a Swiss lake.

My favorite part of this project was the artist's hanging signs encouraging you to steal the gold-embroidered towels. Would you do it?

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Paris, France-

8. Hotel Droog – The Reverse Hotel Concept

The traditional hotels are built around accommodating as many people as possible, stuffing the building with rooms. Hotel Droog turned this upside down.

The place is filled with things to do. There are shopping facilities, a dining room, lectures, a spa, and a relaxing garden.

Also, there is a bedroom. That's right, a single bedroom.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Amsterdam, Netherlands-

7. Henn-na Hotel – Robot Invasion

The fear in the 21st could not be more real of robots served by the most advanced artificial intelligence taking over jobs.

People have executed traditional jobs for centuries. Henn-na Hotel is the first in line to replace human workers with robots that, among other things, can store luggage and even check you in.

If you prefer human interaction, this might not be the place for you, but if you want to glimpse into the future, buy a ticket to Japan now.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Japan-

6. Haslla Art World Museum Hotel – Museum Hotel, Hotel Museum

Located on the Eastern coast of South Korea, the Haslla Art World Museum Hotel is ART with capital letters. It was designed with meticulous attention to detail.

You will find yourself staring at the innovative architecture, the art collection inside and outside, and the contemporary art rooms filled with unique furniture.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in South Korea-

5. Das Park Hotel – Swiss Pipes

Das Park Hotel has converted old sewer pipes into comfy small living spaces. From the outside, they might look like soulless concrete tunnels, but the colorful mural and the cozy bed inside make them a nice place to stay.

Dar Park Hotel has a "pay as much as you want" concept - which is a treat in Switzerland.

But don't expect any luxury here. The "bedroom" is an elevated mattress, and surprisingly there is electricity, but the bathroom is shared.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Germany-

4. Corona Save The Beach Hotel – Hotel Made Of Beach Trash

Corona Saves the Beach Hotel is an environmentally conscious project created to highlight the significant problem we face with the enormous plastic trash humanity has piled up over the past decades.

One of the people who helped with the project was artist HA Schult. He is quoted saying, "we are in the trash time. We produce trash, and we will be trash".

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Rome, Italy-

3. CasAnus Hotel – The Most Bizarre Hotel Concept

Dutch artist Joep Van Lieshout took a step further than anybody else. I'm not here to judge; you are here to judge.

Would you stay inside these giant-sized intestines?

The interior looks cozier than expected. It seems like you are better off inside the CasAnus than outside...

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Belgium-

2. Adler Luxury Hostel – The Five-Star Hostel In Singapore

The dilemma of staying at a nice, fancy hotel or saving money and sleeping in a bunk bed is solved. In the heart of historic Chinatown in Singapore, the Adler Hostel mixes luxurious looks with space-saving.

The result is a high-class interior and bunk beds.

What about privacy? – you might wonder. Fear not; curtains can fully enclose the bunk beds. All I can say is that I have stayed here and approve of the concept.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Singapore-

1. 9 Hours Capsule Hotel – Future Of The Capsule Hotels

Capsule hotels have been around since the first one opened in 1979, called the Capsule Inn Osaka. It's intended to solve the affordability problem in costly, densely populated cities like Tokyo. But, let's face it, bunk beds are not too classy, and they pose the issue of privacy.

Capsules are fully enclosed spaces where you share the room with others in theory, but in reality, you are separated by (plastic) walls.

The design twist of the 9 Hours Capsule Hotel is the minimalist interior and the spaceship-like capsules.

-Check More Photos- | -Other Unique Hotels in Kyoto, Japan-