Want to check out of your marriage? Just check into... THE DIVORCE HOTEL
That’s the very odd idea behind away-break that claims to help you split painlessly in one weekend
THE champagne is on ice and a king-size bed beckons invitingly after a sumptuous evening meal. But this is one luxury resort where romance is probably not on the cards. The reason? It’s Britain’s first divorce hotel. Cashing in on the growing trend for quickie divorces, it offers an exclusive package allowing warring couples to untie the knot over a single weekend, with mediators and lawyers on hand to sort out the terms and draw up the paperwork.
The only stipulation – which may scupper many couples’ involvement – is that husband and wife must be on speaking terms before they check in.
The package costs between £6,000 and £10,000 – a fraction of the average £70,000 divorce bill in the UK.
For that, couples not only get a quickie divorce, but access to the high-end facilities of a five-star hotel, including the opportunity to indulge in spa treatments and enjoy fine dining. And if such treats melt the resolve to split, where better to rekindle romance than in such luxurious surroundings?
The company behind the concept, Dutch firm DivorceHotel International, says it provides a more positive way to bring a marriage to an end than the traditional months of negotiation.
Its extremely modern approach was introduced five years ago and hundreds of couples have now parted on amicable terms using its expert guidance. Six hotels are used to host divorce weekends in Holland, and one in New York. There are plans for expansion in America to Los Angeles and Miami.
Now, the company has brought the concept to Britain, with its first event taking place this weekend at a five-star hotel in York, although the company is seeking an alternative location to use as a permanent base.
The DivorceHotel International website states: ‘Everything takes place on neutral territory, in a relaxed environment with all kinds of comforts and facilities at your disposal.
‘We will never treat you as a client but rather as a VIP guest. Allow us to serve you, and to support you, in settling your divorce in as positive a way as possible.’
Jim Halfens, chief executive officer of DivorceHotel International, explored the concept after observing a friend’s ‘dreadful’ divorce.
He said: ‘If you ask most former couples what the worst thing was about their divorce, they will tell you ‘‘the money’’. They never know how much it is going to cost.
‘We thought it could be a lot quicker and a lot easier without all the external influences such as your motherin-law or your best friend getting involved with suggestions about how the divorce should be going. ‘Also, it can take months to get all the relevant professionals around the table and it needs to be on neutral territory. The end of a marriage might be negative, but from the moment couples come to us, we only focus on the positives and the future.’ It is this philosophy which attracted Kate, 49, and Tom, 50 (not their real names), to York this weekend. Married for 24 years, the pair, who are now grandparents, because they don’t know what else to do,’ she added.
To take advantage of a divorce hotel weekend, couples must first be vetted by the company during a thorough application process. An online test for suitability includes a list of 100 questions.
While some request factual details about agreements which have already been reached, others are more probing, such as: ‘What are your expectations of each other now and in the future?’, ‘Have you tried to resolve your differences before contacting us?’ and ‘Are you willing to end your marriage and wish each other the best for a positive future?’
The company’s specialist family law solicitor and mediator, Clare Thornton, 45, conducted her own divorce from her first husband.
She said: ‘Couples pay up-front so they know they have two days to reach a decision and leave with all the paperwork legally signed and ready to file a consent order at the family court. They get their decree nisi after two or three weeks and then the decree absolute six weeks after that.
‘Getting divorced is not an easy emotional journey but the actual legal process doesn’t need to be dragged out once the couple have decided they’ve had enough of being together.’
The approach has proved enormously popular in the US where couples have been able to use the services of DivorceHotel International for several years.
Kathrine Robbins, 44, and her now former husband Jonathan, a 55-year-old corporate lawyer, ended their 21-year marriage in 2014 at a DivorceHotel event in Saratoga Springs, New York State.
The couple, from Colorado, called time on their union with a series of spa treatments, bicycle rides, long walks and elegant meals.
Kathrine says they had been unhappy for years but were unwilling to go through a ‘nasty divorce where couples end up spending a fortune on legal fees’. She said: ‘Neither of us wanted to go to court and fight over our possessions. I decided three still cared about Jonathan and months ago didn’t want our split to become that they had acrimonious. The fact that we could grown apart sort everything out over a weekend and wanted a was very appealing. It meant that different future. we were away from the influence Speaking in the of family and friends. hotel, with a glass of wine and after ‘It was sad to end things. But the a leisurely lunch with his soon-tobe setting helped to make a painful ex-wife, Tom said: ‘There aren’t situation the best that it could be. good opportunities for people who After all, we are still talking to each are still friendly and want to remain other and we didn’t lose respect for friends to get divorced. each other.’
‘The system actually works Jonathan agreed. ‘It helped me against them. accept that divorce doesn’t need to
‘That’s why I see the benefit of be the worst experience of your this. It’s not about a short-term entire life,’ he said. win; it’s about maintaining a longterm And what of Tom and Kate? After relationship.’ spending a couple of hours with
Kate says that a previous solicitor Clare yesterday, the couple have she visited was ‘a pretty scary already reached an agreement on character who was trying to say everything. Well, nearly everything. things about my husband that ‘I might just check that Tom hasn’t weren’t true. nicked my favourite putter out of
‘I think a lot of people just get my golf clubs in the back of the car sucked into the legal process as I’m leaving,’ Kate jokes.
We won’t treat you as a client, more a VIP guest
We sorted it all out away from family and friends