The tedium surrounding the standardised accommodation offering, coupled with the desire to experience new destinations, has contributed to an increasing interest in alternative accommodation. Far from the standard hotel room, alternative accommodation encompasses unusual structures, often in unusual places.

For one who has slept in too many predictable hotel rooms, a night in a converted prison or tree house is an attractive option. Alternative accommodation can be found in structures converted from their initial purposes such as forts, lighthouses, windmills and cabooses. Others include structures with a primary purpose other than lodging, which accommodate guests on an overnight basis. Monasteries, convents, art museums and research facilities all provide accommodation options that are far from common and more than once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

This report describes the extraordinary offerings of this diverse and growing accommodation segment. Once dismissed as a fringe element of the industry due to its eclectic nature, the growing desire by travellers to experience something new and different is stimulating growth in the types and locations of this segment’s offerings.