Every architect has had a crazy building plan at least once in their life. Many did not push through with their ideas since they are crazy enough that they’re not worth executing. However, for some architects, they have witnessed the realization of their wildest planning and designing ideas. Throughout the course of history, there were many notable buildings and structures mankind has built, from The Roman Coliseum, the Pyramids of Giza, the Parthenon, to Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower, the Bird’s Nest, and many more. These great structures epitomize the great minds of architects.
If there are great historical and contemporary buildings and structures, there are odd and awkward-looking buildings as well – hotels in particular. Peculiar hotels across the globe are not your typical five-star hotels as they offer a different taste in concept, design, and feel. If you are the type of person who is inclined to experiencing an exceptional hotel experience, or if you are the type of architect who is looking for crazy ideas, the list provided below is worth the reading.
1. The Giraffe Manor (Nairobi, Kenya) – This hotel patterned after a Scottish hunting lodge was designed by Sir David Duncan. At first look, this hotel may just look like any ordinary safari hotel in Africa. However, in reality, The Giraffe Manor has something more exotic to offer – giraffes. Staying in this hotel means you can expect frequent visits from gentle giants, giraffes. The hotel is situated inside a giraffe sanctuary; hence, it is not unusual for giraffes to peep through the window. The hotel allows guests to hand-feed the animals and to take photographs with them.
2. Hotel de Glase (Quebec, Canada) – If you are after cold temperature and iced surroundings, this hotel is your first choice. This Canadian hotel is only open from January 7 to March 27 each year, making it one of the more exclusive hotels in the world. It is made of 12,000 tons of snow and is redesigned every year. The Hotel de Glase is world-famous because everything on it is made of ice, from its wedding chapel to the fireplaces and drinking glasses. The hotel has been named one of the top 10 best wedding locations.
3. Hang Nga Hotel (Da Lat, Vietnam) – Considered as one of the most bizarre architectures in Vietnam, this hotel is dubbed by Vietnamese as the “crazy house” because of its creepy architectural design. This hotel is located in the mountain town of Da Lat. The hotel is known for having random assortment of cubbyholes and rooms with twisted and turned bridges that create a maze-like design. Some of the peculiar features of the hotel include caged birds, endemic animals, spiderweb designs, which create a fantasy-themed feel accommodation.
4. Karostas Cietums Hotel (Liepaja, Latvia) – This hotel is plain odd. The Karostas Cietums was built as a prison, but now, it is a hotel with prison-like feel. This hotel-prison offers one-of-a-kind experience to guests. If you are planning to stay on this hotel, you should expect your hands to be cuffed, stripped of your personal belongings, eat bread and water as your meal, and sleep on wooden or iron bed – not your typical hotel accommodation.
These hotels may not offer the typical pampering other hotels could give, but they surely provide a different hotel experience.