Propeller Island City Lodge is far from your average hotel. This sought after property in Berlin, Germany takes the concept of a design hotel to a whole new level. There are 42 unique rooms in the hotel that look more like art installations than travel accommodations. Still, every room that is open to the public can be slept in.
The owner and manager, Lars Stroschen, is the artistic visionary behind each creation. The Gruft Room contains coffins as beds, and the Flying Bed Room has a slanted floor and elevated bed than appears to be levitated off of the ground. The Upside Down Room has--you guessed it--furniture hanging from the ceiling. Propeller Island is Stroschen's notion of aesthetic sensation for the eye and ear. Naturally, the hotel is a tourist attraction that is more like an art gallery or museum.
One of the most intriguing aspects of Propeller Island City Lodge is how it came into existence. Stroschen had always been fond of art and music. He studied Visual Communication at Berlin Art College and then worked as a photographer and sound engineer. Stroschen became interested in experimental music and began publishing his artistic endeavors--whether they be visual, audio, or performance art--under the name Propeller Island. He borrowed the name from a 19th century Jules Verne novel that describes an artificial island traveling around the world with its inhabitants.
When he needed money to fund his music projects, he turned two of the bedrooms in his apartment into guest rooms that he could rent out to travelers. Since these two rooms were the seedlings that would eventually bloom into Propeller Island City Lodge, they weren't standard hotel rooms; Stroschen adorned them with his artistic flare. The rooms became popular due to press coverage, and Stroschen decided to expand his hotel business. Luckily, rooms in the same building were up for sale and he acquired them for the expansion.
The rooms that comprise Stroschen's own Propeller Island took five years to create. He now runs the hotel full-time, and hasn't returned to making music--the original reason for creating his first guest rooms. A stunning visual experience, any art lover in Germany should be sure to check out Propeller Island City Lodge.
