Introducing the Divorce Hotel: A new take on the weekend 'break'

Rex

Married couples looking for a swift and painless divorce (with a bit of sightseeing thrown in), can now do so in a new travel concept called the 'Divorce Hotel' based in the Netherlands.

The brainchild of businessman Jim Halfens, couples are guided through the process by a mediator and lawyers who help 'split assets, agree alimony payments, and arrange visitation rights - all for a fixed fee'", according to news.com.au.

Halfens says he spotted a gap in the market after noting the average divorce can take months and is extremely pricey, often running in to five figures.

He told Sky News: "When they leave the hotel, all work is done. 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."

Halfens uses a number of boutique hotels in the country, including the Carlton Ambassador Hotel in The Hague.

Couples are screened by the 'Divorce Hotel' legal team before checking in, and if they are not on speaking terms they are deemed unsuitable for the process.

Sales manager Ninke Bons says couples often check in together, but stay in separate rooms, and added: "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."

Halfens sees potential in the idea to expand it to other countries, including America and Germany.

And a TV production company - multi Emmy Award-winning firm Base Productions - is interested in making a programme about the process, proposing a "high-gloss documentary series examining couples as they go through the process and how conflicts are resolved as the spoils are divided".

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