A Divorce Hotel? Its Time Has Come.

After watching a college friend go through a painful divorce, Jim Halfens came up with the idea for the Divorce Hotel. Halfens remembers the time well, “He was losing weight, he was unable to have fun in life anymore, and they were fighting everytime you saw them– it was horrible.”  The divorce negotiation dragged on for five months he says- not all that long, by American standards. “I was convinced there had to be another way,” Halfens said. So, drawing on a background in marketing, as well as a stint at a law firm, he opened the Divorce Hotel. And by the way, it isn’t just a single hotel, Halfens has struck agreements with six high-end hotels in the Netherlands.

After the couples contact Halfens regarding the Divorce Hotel services, the company assesses the couples to make sure they are suitable for the process and not caught up in a bitter dispute. It ensures the well-being of both parties, which is paramount for couples going through a divorce. The idea is to talk couples through alimony and splitting assets, as well as visitation rights to any children, putting all the documentation together without drawing out the process over weeks or even months. The couples are put up in separate rooms (if the couples wish) and are provided mediators and legal advice for a set fee. After negotiations, over two days, the couple leaves the hotel with their agreement in hand, and the next step (per Dutch law) is to show the agreement to a judge which usually takes about two weeks. Mr. Halfens has plans to bring the Divorce Hotel to the U.S., with plans to open offices in Los Angeles and New York. There is also a reality show in the works.