Blow Up Hall 50 50 Hotel

Sometimes, the hotel that one stays at while on vacation can be just as interesting as the sites that one is there to see. In Poland, they have a nice little place called the Blow Up Hall 50 50 Hotel that is, for lack of a better description, an artistically designed hotel that is designed to make the guest part of the experience of staying there.  It may not outshine all the interesting things there are to see in its home city of Poznan, but it is certainly an attraction all its own.

Once an old brewery complex, the building housing Blow Up Hall has since been redesigned in a strange contemporary art style.  The name of the hotel was stolen from the British-Italian cult 60s film Blow Up (though I've never seen it, so I couldn't explain why).  The goal behind the creation of the hotel, according to its designer, was to make staying in the hotel an interactive work of art.

First and foremost, you don’t get to choose your own room.  Well, not in the traditional sense.  Instead, they show you three numbers, three colors and three pictures and by using a combination of one from each category, your choices determine what room is right for you.  They then give you an iPhone, which you will need to use to find your room, because none of the room doors have numbers.  Instead, the iPhone can be used to make your room door signal you by lighting up a screen.  You’ll also be using that iPhone to activate every other technological gadget that your room happens to hold.

The rooms themselves are very stylized, most of them having a contemporary art feel to them, though some are more traditional (I guess you get those if you choose the boring colors and numbers). They are filled with all sorts of bits of high-tech, making them interactive as well as interesting. One thing all the rooms have in common, however, is that they are fairly luxurious.

Other amenities offered while at Blow Up Hall include luxuries such as a spa, a massage service, a butler service, a dance center, art gallery and the Stary Browar 50 50 shopping arcade. This shopping center has the distinction of being named as one of the best of its kind in the entire world.

One of the stranger ‘interactive’ aspects of a stay at Blow Up Hall is the fact that there are cameras throughout the hotel filming you. This footage is then played in the lobby for all to see. I’m pretty sure they don’t put cameras in your room, though I found nothing to say yes or no either way on that one.

Blow Up Hall is conveniently located a short walk away from Poznan’s downtown, a place with plenty of touristy stuff to do and a very historic area of the city. The hotel isn't cheap though. It starts at around $150 a night and can go as high as $500 if you’re looking to stay in a suite.  Still, it’s a pretty damn cool way to spend a night or two, regardless of the expense.  Feel free to head over to their website and check out more pictures and info.

Blow Up Hall photo courtesy of Mos810 via Wikicommons