Clothes are strictly off limits when the planned Hotel Rosengarten opens its doors to visitors of Germany's Black Forest town of Freudenstadt.
The soon-to-be-open hotel is bucking the global recession by catering exclusively to buck-naked guests.
"It will be the first comprehensively nudist hotel in Germany," said staff member Silvia Probsthain to SPIEGEL ONLINE.
Guests will be required to take off their clothes at the reception and to remain in their birthday suit while inside the hotel premises. Other house rules include putting towels on chairs and loungers before using them, no sexual harrassment, and all sexual activity in the hotel's common areas is strictly forbidden. Those found violating the rules would be asked to put their clothes on and leave the hotel.
In a separate news report, hotel owner Freider Haferkorn told Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper: "It's amazing, but there is a tremendous demand for nudist hotels, nudist restaruants, nudist bars, nudist gyms - you name it. Nudists want to take their clothes off and enjoy it in the raw."
Hotel Rosengarten is now on a refitting exercise to ensure no curious eyes can peek into the hotel compound to catch a glimpse of bare flesh. The on-going construction is also aimed at offering guests with a whole array of beauty-spa and wellness offerings.
Haferkorn has also been quoted saying that he wants to keep rates low in these hard times when tourists are pinching every penny. The hotel rates, therefore, are quite modest and family-friendly – single occupancy starts at 76 euros (US$110) and double-occupancy is a mere 110 euros (US$145).
Freudenstadt's tourism director Michael Krause was reported saying: "I'm in two minds. It's always good if a new hotel is set up, but I'd prefer a normal hotel concept."
Gigi Onag
