When you think of McDonald’s, you probably imagine fries, burgers and a drive-thru, not a glossy £12 million hotel.
But back in 2001, McDonald’s Switzerland decided to try something totally unexpected.
The fast food chain opened the first Golden Arch Hotel near Zurich Airport.
It wasn’t your typical McDonald's set-up. The building itself looked more like a futuristic research centre than a burger joint, covered in reflective steel-grey glass with sweeping curves.
Inside, the branding was surprisingly subtle. Instead of neon arches everywhere, the rooms were sleek and minimal, decorated with muted wood tones. The only obvious nod to the chain was the M-shaped headboard above the beds, upholstered in mustard Alcantara fabric.
The tech was way ahead of its time too. Guests could surf the internet on their TVs, check in online and even adjust their beds with the push of a button. This was 2001, years before most hotels had caught up with that kind of digital convenience.
Of course, being a McDonald’s hotel, there was a restaurant downstairs serving Big Macs and fries, along with an Aroma café offering coffee and pastries. Rooms started at around £75 a night, which was pretty reasonable for a four-star stay in Zurich. For McDonald’s fans, the idea of grabbing a McMuffin in the morning before heading up to a stylish, tech-forward hotel room must have felt like a dream.
But the dream didn’t last long. Despite initial buzz and plans to expand the concept across Switzerland, the Golden Arch Hotel struggled. Guests weren’t impressed by some of the design choices, particularly the glass-walled showers that offered zero privacy.
The name itself didn’t translate well either. In German-speaking regions, 'Golden Arches' sounded uncomfortably close to a slang word for someone’s backside. On top of that, the timing couldn’t have been worse - the aftermath of 9/11 had a major impact on international travel and McDonald’s grand hotel experiment quickly ran out of steam.
By 2003, just two years after opening, the world’s only McDonald’s hotel had closed its doors. The building didn’t disappear, though - it was eventually taken over and rebranded by Radisson, where it still operates today.
The Golden Arch Hotel remains one of McDonald’s boldest but strangest ventures, a curious blend of fast food and four-star hospitality that was either ahead of its time or completely out of step with what travellers actually wanted.
For a fleeting moment, the golden arches stretched beyond burgers and fries into the world of hotels, only to prove that not every Big Mac dream works outside the drive-thru.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/StaffTopics: McDonalds
Lara Owen