Many would agree that the world is home to numerous strange ideas and designs in terms of hotels. On the top of weird facilities are ice hotels or even underwater hotels.However, surely a hotel consisting of sewage drain pipes beats the rest.
Located near the Danube in Ottensheim in Austria, Das Park Hotel is basically a giant sewage pipe segment, enterable via a digital keypad. As strange as it may seem, paying to stay in drain pipes can be quite comfortable.
Das Park Hotel is equipped with double beds, warm blankets, security key codes for looking after luggage, has wall paintings of the Austrian artist Thomas Latzel and has plenty of toilet facilities and cold showers. The only drawback in comparison to other hotels is that Das Park can, of course, can be open only in the summer and during relatively warm spring and autumn seasons. However, nearby public facilities atone for the cold showers, providing warm water and nearby restaurants are generally tolerant of people using their lavatories. The hotel provides visitors and guests with a real sense of security in sleeping in a public place which a campsite does not always provide.
In terms of payment, the hotel is basically run on a ‘pay as you wish’ basis. This means that guests can pay as much as they want. This does not mean that staying in the pipes is for free and hefty contributions are very much welcome. Still, the lack of a fixed price is a welcome bonus to the budget traveller. The hotel has a further pulling point thanks to its position. The historical town of Linz is a mere stone’s throw away and there are plenty of swimming opportunities in the Danube.
