Pop-up hotels: Sleeping where no one has slept before

New Delhi: Switzerland Tourism (ST) has launched pop-up hotels in 11 Swiss cities that gives guests the chance to spend the night in unusual places that have never been slept in before.

The pop-up hotels are part of the ST cities campaign, allowing tourists to experience the booming Swiss cities from a surprising perspective.

The fishermen's cabins in Basel are normally only accessible to a small number of people. But, this summer, Switzerland Tourism (ST) is making it possible for interested guests to spend a night in a beautiful hut directly on the Rhine because one of the huts is being turned into a pop-up hotel room for a few months.

The pop-up hotel in Bellinzona is equally unusual. It's hidden in Castelgrande Castle. Guests can be the king or queen of the castle in the tower room of this UNESCO World Heritage Site - at least for one night.

Exclusive city experiences

Vevey is offering a modern pop-up hotel with a long history. A shop cum cafe was set up in the former ballroom some time ago. "Bravo", this ballroom-shop-cafe combination, will be temporarily available as a hotel room. Other pop-up hotels launched by ST, in cooperation with 11 Swiss city councils, include a floating room, a secret boathouse and a prison tower. All the hotel rooms are attractive overnight options, thanks to their uniqueness and their beautiful locations. It's all fairly exclusive: every "hotel" has just one pop-up room, and the rooms can only be booked during a period of around three months.

Product development by Switzerland Tourism

These pop-up hotels showcase Swiss cities in a new, modern and surprising manner. They give visitors the chance to see the nation's cities from a perspective that was previously the preserve of the Swiss. This new project, initiated by ST as part of its product development, is being sponsored by the 11 cities, together with selected hotel operators. The latter are responsible for furnishing the rooms and providing the service. ST's temporary pop-up hotels reveal unknown corners of Swiss cities, taking guests off the beaten track and away from mass tourism.

Swiss urban feeling

The pop-up hotels are a part of the ST city campaign "Swiss urban feeling". The campaign presents a new, urban Switzerland, with surprising secret tips from local people. This meets a need expressed by city tourists. 25% of guests are looking for "hidden gems", a good 15% are interested in fine cuisine and around 10% would like to "meet local people". This list of preferences was established by TMS 20171. The city campaign also comprises the new offer "Taste my Swiss city", which ST launched in early May together with 11 cities. ST is investing a total of 12 million Swiss francs in this year's city campaign.

City breaks in vogue

City breaks are booming in Switzerland. Since the year 2000, overnight stays* in the largest cities have increased by 50.5% and in smaller cities by 14.6%. And the boom continues. According to the ITB World Travel Trends Report, the popularity of city breaks will continue to rise sharply. Not least because city dwellers in particular tend to travel to cities. And the proportion of the world's population living in cities is continually growing. According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, around 5 billion people across the globe will be living in urban areas by 2030. Growth in cities is also based in emerging, long-haul markets. For example, 37.4% of all Indian tourists stayed in a major Swiss city last year, from where they went on frequent excursions to nearby mountain destinations.