Golden Arch hotel tested in Switzerland

USA Today

ZURICH, Switzerland — McDonald's and a Swiss joint-venture partner are quietly testing a big idea: Could America's burger giant become its lodging king as well?

Near the airport here is the first Golden Arch hotel.

It's a four-star hotel, too. That's right, as in four-out-of-five stars. Even so, it's heavily commercial. The 4-month-old hotel has a pair of Golden Arches that sweep across the entrance to let the visitor know right from the start that this is, indeed, a McHotel.

Inside the lobby: A couple dozen self-service baggage carts are shaped just like, you guessed it, the Golden Arches.

The theme continues in the 210 rooms. The headboards to the two beds form the familiar McDonald's arches. And so you won't miss that subtlety, a satin ribbon is draped across each bed with the same yellow arch.

The rooms are clean, in part because there's so little in them. There are two hospital-like beds — each operated by three electric motors. (Really.) The TV serves as a computer as well as an alarm clock.

But it's not a room for the modest: There's a see-through, circular, stall shower — right next to the bed.

There are just two places to eat in the hotel: a massive McDonald's and a tiny Aroma Cafe (also a McDonald's venture), which serves mostly croissants and upscale coffee. There's a bar, too, which basically doubles as the hotel's lobby because it's the only place to sit. But sitting there can be pricey. A small bottle of mineral water costs nearly $3.

In case some ketchup from your french fries dribbles onto your business suit, there's a 24-hour laundry and dry-cleaning service.

A double room is about $120 a night, a relative bargain in the busy airport area. But at that price don't look for in-room amenities. Not so much as a bottle of shampoo. Or a Big Mac.