Divorce Hotel: Netherlands’ New Way For Married Couples To Break Up | Strange News | Sky News
In the Netherlands a weekend break can become a weekend break-up for couples hoping for a swift and cheap divorce.
It is a concept called the ‘Divorce Hotel’ and helps husbands and wives to arrange all the necessary legal documentation to end their marriage over the course of just two days.
They meet a mediator and series of lawyers behind closed doors who will split assets, agree alimony payments and arrange visitation rights – all for a fixed fee.
It is the brainchild of entrepreneur Jim Halfens, who said he spotted a gap in the market in a country where the average divorce can easily run into five figures and take months to complete.
“When they leave the hotel, all work is done,” he told Sky News.
“The only thing that happens then in Dutch law is that they have to show the agreement to a judge in the Netherlands and that takes a couple of weeks.
“They walk divorced out of this door and to make it official takes a couple of weeks.”
He uses a number of high-end boutique hotels around the country, including the smart Carlton Ambassador Hotel in The Hague.
Sales manager Ninke Bons explains that the couples, who often check in together, but mostly choose to stay in separate rooms, are handled with care by the staff.
“We treat them as any other guests, we just try to keep a closer eye on them or make sure they are not wandering around by themselves,” she says.
“Just as an example – we would normally enquire if a guest enjoyed their stay at the hotel. Well, obviously that’s not very appropriate in the case of the Divorce Hotel.”
Strange Random Divorce Quote:
“I’m an excellent housekeeper. Every time I get a divorce, I keep the house.” – Zsa Zsa Gabor (American Actress, one of the glamorous Gabor sisters, b.1917)
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