During the Art Basel Fair in June, trying to find a hotel room in the city is near impossible. To help, a small local shop has decided to offer a peculiar overnight stay in their shop window for a cool 3.300 Swiss francs a night.

Guests in Basel window pay more than 9.000 francs a booking

Between June 16 and 18, the city of Basel and surrounding cantons are flooded with art connoisseurs and tourists who descend on the annual art fair. It is regarded as one of the most important art fairs in Switzerland, meaning most hotels are fully booked and many locals choose to sublet their homes during the event.

However, the number of available rooms has been bolstered by one resourceful entrepreneur. On Airbnb, single and double beds are now offered in a shop window on the busy Feldbergstrasse thoroughfare, costing 3.300 Swiss francs a night.

The "room," which can accommodate up to four guests, must be booked for a minimum of three nights, making a single stay cost up to 9.900 Swiss francs in total. In the description, the letter said guests can “not only see exhibits at Art Basel, but also be an exhibit themselves,” where you can watch the trendy nightlife walk by your bed or watch a neighbour “chain-smoke.” There is also a small cinema and dance floor.

Basel shop's marketing joke receives first serious booking

Of course, the original listing was intended to be a joke, with employee Gawin Steiner explaining, “It is part of our humorous advertising concept. We didn't think people would really care." He said that the price was meant to deter people from actually taking the shop up on its offer, as for the same price you could rent out the Napoleon suite in the Trois Rois - Basel’s most expensive hotel.

Unfortunately for them, what started as a joke planned “during a beer round after work” has now become deadly serious, as they have already received their first booking from China. "We were very surprised and don't really know what to do now," said Steiner, who noted that they are still trying to figure out how to actually accommodate their first paying guest.