Banksy's 'worst view in the world' hotel opens tourists' eyes to Middle Eastern conflict

12 March 2017 - 02:00 By Elizabeth Sleith
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The rooms in the Walled Off hotel in Bethlehem invite guests to sleep inside works of art. This one features a Banksy wall painting of an Israeli border policeman and Palestinian in a pillow fight.
The rooms in the Walled Off hotel in Bethlehem invite guests to sleep inside works of art. This one features a Banksy wall painting of an Israeli border policeman and Palestinian in a pillow fight.
Image: walledoffhotel.com

Guerrilla artist Banksy is behind the Walled Off hotel in Bethlehem, which aims to 'tell the story of the West Bank wall from every side', writes Elizabeth Sleith

A new hotel in the West Bank city of Bethlehem is marketing itself with a bizarrely unique selling point: "The worst view in the world".

Bankrolled by the British guerrilla artist, Banksy, it's called The Walled Off Hotel, which is clearly a play on the Waldorf Astoria, one of the world's most luxurious hotel brands, but also a reference to that view.

The Walled Off promises sights "from almost every room" of the graffitied, grey concrete boundary that separates the Palestinian territory from Israel.

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Banksy is an anonymous artist and political activist, whose true identity has been much speculated on but never confirmed. As his work, the hotel claims on its website to be "not aligned with any political movement or pressure group".

It describes the significance of the wall thus: "It divides the nation of Palestine from the state of Israel and restricts movement between the two for citizens of both sides."

The hotel's intention, it adds, "is to tell the story of the West Bank wall from every side and give visitors the opportunity to discover it for themselves.

"We offer a warm welcome to everyone from all sides of the conflict and across the world. Absolutely no fanaticism is permitted on the premises."

Of course, there is some clear political consciousness at play.

This year marks 100 years since Britain became involved in Palestine. Thus the hotel's piano bar "is themed as a colonial outpost from those heady days.

"It is equipped with languid ceiling fans, leather bound couches and an air of undeserved authority," the website reads.

"Guests can peruse a collection of Banksy artworks that include vandalised oil paintings and statues choking on tear gas fumes. Warm scones and freshly brewed tea are served daily on fine bone china and the Walled Off Salad should not be missed."

The bar, open to non-staying guests too, also features a remote-controlled baby grand piano, which will play a ghostly concert every night at 9pm. The music has been exclusively written and pre-recorded by musicians including 3D of Massive Attack (whom some suspect is Banksy himself), Trent Reznor, Flea and Hans Zimmer.

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The rooms, meanwhile, are meant to give guests the sense that they are living within works of art, curated as they have been by artists including Banksy, Palestinian artist Sami Musa and Canadian artist Dominique Petrin, with more to come.

If you fancy that sort of thing, the Presidential Suite is "equipped with everything a corrupt head of state would need including a plunge bath able to accommodate up to four revellers".

And on the other end of the spectrum, the dormitory-style budget accommodation looks like a tented camp, furnished with surplus items from an Israeli military barracks. From $30 per night, guests here get "no frills" but they do get "complimentary earplugs", the hotel says.

The premises are also home to a gallery, with a permanent collection featuring Palestinian artists from the past 20 years and an adjoining space for temporary shows by upcoming artists.

Finally, there is a museum dedicated to the "biography of the wall", which "contains almost fully fact-checked material and will be an ongoing repository for local stories, artefacts and testimonies".

While the hotel has already opened, the "reservations desk" on the website was set to open this weekend with plans to remain open as long as there is demand.

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