WEST BANKSY
Artist unveils Palestinian hotel
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — A Palestinian guesthouse packed with artwork of the elusive British graffiti artist Banksy unveiled itself Friday in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, with a sneak peek of what the owner sarcastically called the “hotel with the worst view in the world.”
Wisam Salsaa, 42, said the nine-room establishment named “The Walled Off Hotel” will officially open on March 11, but he offered a handful of reporters a tour of the hotel looking directly at the West Bank separation barrier erected by Israel to ward off potential Palestinian attackers. The barrier, which Palestinians consider to be a land grab that stifles their movement, is heavily decorated by artists and Banksy has previously painted several murals on a walled segment of it.
The hotel is awash in the trademark satirical work of the mysterious artist. The highlight is room number three, known as “Banksy’s Room,” where guests sleep in a king-size bed underneath Banksy’s artwork showing a Palestinian and an Israeli in a pillow fight.
The hotel also features a presidential suite and a museum with the artist’s work. It has the markings of a gentleman’s club from the English colonial period.
The cheapest rooms were available from $30 a night.
The whole project took 14 months to complete and was kept under complete secrecy, in accordance with Banksy’s request to protect his anonymity. Salsaa said the entire interior was personally overseen by Banksy, to the very last details. The hotel is Banksy’s largest new body of work in years, according to a press release distributed by representatives who attended Friday’s tour.