05.08.2013

Scissor lift hotel

A hotel in Denver, Colorado, is offering guests a weekend break in a special room on top of a van mounted scissor lift.

The scissor lifts the 1.6 x 2.1 metre ‘inflatable room’ to a height of 22ft or just under seven metres, it has been designed by Architect Alex Schweder for the Biennial of the Americas festival of arts, culture and ideas, currently being held in the city. It has a chemical toilet, shower, sink, inflatable bed, sofa and curtains. It is being driven to parking lots around the city until August 23rd.
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The lowered room

Maximum weight in the room is just over 200kgs and the cost for the package, which is sponsored by the Curtis Hotel, is $50,000. But.. that does include a diamond pendant and earrings, two iPod Nanos, a brunch, and a dance party for 100 people in a ballroom at the Curtis, in addition to the weekend’s accommodation.
Schweder, who has already spent two nights in the room, said: "It's a very small room but a very special room, you are always on the top floor. The thing you shouldn't forget in your suitcase is your imagination."
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The elevated room

Schweder's work tends to focus on the performance of architecture rather than on a structure itself, the inspiration came from the fact that developers want to turn several Denver parking lots into hotels. The work is named ‘The hotel rehearsal’. The first idea was to suspend the room from a mobile crane, but it was thought to be more practical to lift it with something designed for lifting people.

The Curtis Hotels says that it has received enquiries and that much of the $50,000 will go toward insurance, but customers also will be supporting the future of the Biennial of the Americas.