'Divorce Hotel' to help couples separate

A Dutch entrepreneur has offered couples the chance of a weekend getaway in a hotel wherein he will help them finalise their divorce. Jim Halfen's 'Divorce Hotel' helps pairs intent on splitting up to get quick divorces by staying for two days in their accommodation and coming out as two all-but-separated people. The Netherlands-based firm aims to talk couples through alimony, splitting assets, visitation rights for children and any other outstanding marital issues to help finalise a divorce. Their two-day process of drawing together documentation by having the two parties, lawyers, and mediators all in the same hotel for a weekend aims to fasten the process, which can normally take weeks or months. The concept was created by Halfens, whose website says the company offers 'an affordable 5-star divorce made-to-measure'. Halfens uses high-end hotels around the country, putting up the couple in separate rooms (if they wish) and providing mediators and legal advice for a set fee. Once the divorcing couple leave the hotel at the end of their stay, the only thing left to do is show the agreement to a judge, as required in Dutch law, which can take a couple of weeks. The company assesses couples when they apply for the service, to make sure they are suitable for the process and not caught up in a bitter dispute. It then ensures both parties' wellbeing during the stay. Halfens revealed that the inspiration behind setting up of the company came from witnessing a college friend go through a painful separation. "He was losing weight, he was unable to have fun in life anymore and they were fighting every time you saw them — it was horrible," the Daily Mail quoted him as telling the New York Times. "The divorce negotiations dragged on for five months. I was convinced there has to be another way," he said. "We treat them as any other guests, we just try to keep a closer eye on them or make sure they are not wandering around by themselves," Ninke Bons, sales manager, told Sky News. "Just as an example - we would normally enquire if a guest enjoyed their stay at the hotel. Well, obviously that's not very appropriate in the case of the Divorce Hotel." The idea has become so popular that several television companies in America are looking at making it into a documentary series.