Banksy’s New Hotel Has the Worst View in the World
Photos courtesy of Getty / Ilia Yefimovich
“Walls are hot right now, but I was into them long before [Donald] Trump made it cool,” elusive street artist Banksy said in a recent statement. The British graffiti master, painter, and whimsically political agitator-of-the-art-world’s latest project is the Walled Off Hotel, a carefully curated 10-room “destination” situated beside the controversial barrier wall separating Israel from the Palestinian territories. The barrier has remained a canvas for some of Banksy’s most controversial paintings for over a decade. In the context of his latest work, the barrier wall becomes what the hotel building owner has deemed “the worst view of any hotel in the world.”
The ten-roomed hotel is the artist’s latest attempt to inspire international dialogue surrounding the schismatic Bethlehem wall, disparately referred to as ‘security fence’ in Hebrew and ‘wall of apartheid’ in Arabic. Inside the dystopian getaway is a series of works by Banksy as well as a number of works from Palestinian artists, all carefully selected by the artist-turned-hotelier. Upon stepping into the lobby, guests are greeted by a series of Greco-Roman inspired cherubs dangling above a baby grand piano. These angels are no guardians, though, as they appear to be falling violently, their faces affixed with in-flight oxygen masks.
Amidst representations of Banksy’s previous artworks, are other hauntingly appropriated fixtures, including a Roman-style bust engulfed by a cloud of tear gas, a portrait of Jesus with a laser target on his forehead and a trophy wall of security cameras and slingshots. Each of the hotel’s rooms receives just 25 minutes of sunlight daily and has its own distinct aesthetic—eight were designed by Banksy himself and the others left to two other artists, Sami Musa and Dominique Petrin, who were not permitted to view the rest of the hotel until completion. 
The least expensive beds, at a modest $30 a night, are bunk beds meant to replicate Israeli military barracks, furnished with foot lockers and complimentary earplugs; while the presidential suite, which sleeps up to six, comes with its own home cinema, roof garden, tiki bar, and a jacuzzi whose water tank appears to be speckled with bullet holes.
