MADRID, July 5 A Madrid hotel combined its need to refurbish its rooms and stressed-out city residents' need for an outlet, letting them take sledgehammers to their rooms.
For Pablo Varela, a 30-year-old teacher who deals with "difficult pupils," it was just the ticket. "I'm exhausted, but very relaxed. I have never done anything like this before," he said Tuesday after producing an avalanche of plaster in one hotel bedroom.
Varela was among 40 volunteers who took part in the demolition effort, The Independent reported Wednesday.
"We put together our need to demolish our rooms with a government report that Madrilenos suffer high stress levels, and invented the idea of 'roomolition,'" said Enrique Tellecha, a manager of NH Hotels.
Sixty of the 1,000 who applied were chosen by psychologists for a test that included hitting a life-size puppet of a leering boss, cigar clamped in its jaws, and shouting the thing that most stressed them. They then had their pulse, blood pressure and heartbeat measured before answering a questionnaire on what was most stressful in their life.
The 40 most-stressed were picked for the "roomolition." Their reward? A nice, relaxing stay once the hotel is renovated.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
