Street Artist Banksy Opens Boutique Art Hotel with World's 'Worst View'

Located in the West Bank city of Bethlehem is The Walled Off Hotel, which was officially opened on March 11 by British street artist, Banksy.

Ask any millennial you know and chances are they know Banksy. The mysterious British street artist has been known for his satirical stencils—rats, kissing policemen, riot police with yellow smiley faces—that first made their appearance on the wall in Bristol before spreading to London and then across the globe. What most people admire of Banksy is his dark humour artworks that commented on war, child poverty and the environment.

And those are what Banksy implemented in his “another misguided venture into the corporate hospitality”—quoted from his Instagram post, which showed Israeli and Palestinian policemen in a pillow fight. The painting in the post, which has earned almost 100,000 likes, can be found hanging below a king-size bed in the hotel’s room number three, also known as “Banksy’s Room”.

The Walled Off hotel is said to be located in a bustling area and close to the tourist spot: a mile from the centre of Bethlehem. Inside, there are 9 guestrooms and presidential suite that boast floor-to-ceiling views of graffiti-strewn concrete by Banksy and other artists (Sami Musa and Dominique Petrin) as well as a Wi-Fi, fridge, and air conditioning. Several of the rooms also have views of the Israeli security watchtower.

Meanwhile, the hotel’s presidential suite, which can accommodate up to six guests, is equipped with a plunge bath, a library, a home cinema, a roof garden, a tiki bar and a Jacuzzi from a water tank that is speckled with bullet holes. The Walled Off hotel also provides budget rooms outfitted with surplus items from an Israeli military barracks and is priced from US$30 a night.

What about the facilities? Instead of a plush gym, there is a gentleman’s club from the English colonial period, and instead of scenic swimming pools there is a museum. The piano bar inside the gentleman’s club houses ceiling fans and leather couches with a mélange of Banksy artworks that include vandalised oil paintings and statues choking on tear gas fumes.

Elsewhere, the museum contains state-of-the-art audio visual presentations that feature an animated history of the region and original beach sculpture from Gaza. There is also a gallery that sells original work, prints and postcards. The museum and art gallery are open to non-residents every day from 11am-7:30pm.

For a project that took 14 months to complete and was kept under complete secrecy, everything was meticulously planned and executed, especially its location. Nestled next to the barrier wall the separates the Israeli and Palestinian territories, The Walled Off Hotel sits in Area Cm which means that both Israelis and Palestinians are allowed to visit.

What’s the aim of the hotel for Banksy, then? It’s simple, he wants the hotel that “offers a warm welcome to everyone from all sides of the conflict and across the world” as quoted from the website. For more information about the hotel visit the website here.

(Photo credit: walledoffhotel)