American tourists thought they hit the jackpot when their hotel offered a free room - but there was a major catch
An American couple was left feeling exposed after they discovered their free room was a glass box in the lobby inside an Ibiza hotel.
Margaret and Corey Bienert - the duo A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour - stayed in the Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel's Zero Suite - an all-glass room in the lobby - in 2022.
'We were super unprepared for the experience,' Margaret said in a Monday TikTok video. 'All I knew going into this was that when you book it, you can stay for free for one night. And I thought it was such a funny idea, so of course I wanted to try it.
'And then when we were there, we found out the lights never turn off and you're basically on display all night long.'
When the couple booked the room, they hadn't realized it was an art hotel and the Zero Suite was part of the experience, with the guests serving as 'part of the art.'
'You are the art, which means people want to see you do something,' she said in a separate video.
Plenty of guests asked the couple if they would have sex inside the room, but they said it definitely wasn't on their itinerary.
Margaret and Corey Bienert - the duo A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour - stayed in the Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel's Zero Suite - an all-glass room in the lobby - in 2022
'We were super unprepared for the experience,' Margaret said in a Monday TikTok video. 'All I knew going into this was that when you book it, you can stay for free for one night. And I thought it was such a funny idea, so of course I wanted to try it'
In a 2022 video, Margaret joked that 'this is what a free stay gets you' before panning her camera to show the all-glass exterior where guests mingle in the lobby and some even film them.
'You get what you pay for,' she joked.
To make matters worse, the lights in the room don't turn off, forcing the guests to be plunged under fluorescent lighting until morning.
Margaret showed the room and lobby at midnight, with strips of lighting shining brightly all around her.
Two years later, she's revealing what she would have done differently to embrace the experience more fully and to 'entertain the guests.'
When the couple booked the exotic room, they hadn't realized it was an art hotel and the Zero Suite was part of the creative experience
There are a few rules Zero Suite guests have to follow, including signing a waiver to allow anyone to film you, having to stay one full night, only allowing two people in the room, and not being allowed to rebook the experience more than once a calendar year
She suggested guests brave enough to spend the evening in the glass box to perform the 'entire [Taylor Swift] Eras Tour setlist,' or do a 'live painting.' She also suggested selling $5 kisses to passers-by through the glass or pretending to be locked in the room.
'There is so much room for creativity in this room' Margaret said. 'Unfortunately, I was just unprepared, so I have to leave it up to a future guest to do one or some of these things.'
The hotel recommends the room to any guest that likes 'being the center of attention,' it told US Glass Magazine in 2022.
Guests can use the space to sleep, but also put on 'artistic performances, radio broadcasts, DJ sets,' among other things.
The room option has been in existence since 2018, when the hotel (pictured) opened
There are a few rules Zero Suite guests have to follow, including signing a waiver to allow anyone to film you, having to stay one full night, only allowing two people in the room, and not being allowed to rebook the experience more than once a calendar year, according to the magazine.
'This year we’ve had to turn people down due to the high demand,' a representative told US Glass Magazine.
The room option has been in existence since 2018, when the hotel opened.
