A hotel in New York State will soon be offering couples the opportunity to divorce over the course of a weekend stay.
The resort in Saratoga Springs, NY has long been a popular venue for weddings, but within the next few weeks it will team up with Dutch company DivorceHotel to allow couples to separate for $5,000 (£3,057).
The divorce package includes two separate rooms for the divorcing couple and two days of mediation to come to a settlement.
While the couples will still be married at the end of the weekend, they will be provided with documentation which can be submitted to court in order to make the divorce official.
Rob Sgarlata, a representative for the resort, said it was perfect for this kind of service as it creates “an environment that minimizes the stress of the situation”.
He added that, as weddings at the resort will probably end up taking place at the same time as some of the divorce negotiations, they will be held “in different parts of the hotel”.
According to Jim Halfens, CEO of DivorceHotel, the two-day time limit is designed to create a “pressure cooker” atmosphere in order to encourage couples to come to an agreement.
How successful this will be is yet to be seen. Mediation has been criticised many times for being an ineffective way of resolving family disputes.
The subject of ‘quickie’ divorces is covered extensively in Marilyn Stowe’s book Divorce & Splitting Up: Advice from a top divorce lawyer, which is available on Amazon.
