Swedish hotel chain offers 'divorce refunds'

A Swedish hotel chain is offering a refund to couples who get divorced within a year of staying at one of its places.

The Countryside Hotels group initiative is actually meant to encourage spouses to spend time together and work on their relationship, the Swedish NWT news website reports. It's offering a "relationship guarantee" on mini-breaks at its hotels, so if things subsequently don't work out and the marriage ends within a year, then the chain says it will reimburse the cost of a two-night stay.

Petra Fagrell Jansson, who runs one of the hotels, isn't worried about it becoming an expensive offer. She tells NWT that a trip could be exactly what people need to resolve their marital troubles. "Everyone needs a bit more time for their relationships and a little break from everyday life," she says.

There is some fine print: couples must be already married, stay in the same room and reference the relationship guarantee when booking. If they subsequently divorce and want to claim a refund, they have to submit court documents as evidence.

Marketing officer Anna Madsen tells The Local that some people have been surprised by the idea and asked if it's actually a joke, but the offer is real. She says the "radical approach" is designed make people realise "how beneficial it can be to get away for a while and devote time to each other".

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