Go Niche

Sweet pipe dreams: HERE’S ONE you might have difficulty selling for a citybreak. Das Park Hotel is constructed from, as its own promotional material puts it, “repurposed, incredibly robust drain pipes”. You might know them as sewer pipes.

The establishment opened its door, or rather doors – each of the five units is made of separate pipe so it’s not like you’re booking in to a rat-infested, subterranean network – last month for its sixth season. As usual it will stay open through October when, presumably, even sewer rats find the cold a challenge.

Guests make their reservation online and are e-mailed a security code that allows entry to their own personal pipe. Surprisingly for a development so dependent on sanitation, there are no sinks, loos or indeed other hotel facilities available. What you get is a built-in double bed with space underneath to stow luggage. Other than that there’s a lamp and a plug for charging up phones and cameras.

All other amenities must be scrounged from the “public infrastructure”, say the owners. You’ll need to go out to eat too, obviously. Still, given that the hotel operates on a “pay as you wish” basis, you can hardly complain about value for money.

In fact, it all sounds positively, well, positive. Except perhaps for the location. The hotel is somewhat off the beaten path in a park in Bottrop-Ebel, near Essen in Germany. The park is a redeveloped water purification plant, so there’s a theme going on here. If you want to add to it, tell your beloved you’re booking here for the hols and you’ll see waterworks for sure.

dasparkhotel.net