Best Sea View: Tel Aviv Lifeguard Tower Turned Into 5-star Hotel

By Yonatan Sredni, NoCamels February 22, 2017 3 minutes

beach, tel aviv, hotel, lifeguard, lifeguard tower. Photo by Kfir Bolotin

Tel Aviv has no shortage of beachfront hotels, but a new first of its kind pop-up hotel will get you closer to the ocean than any other.

In an effort to showcase Israel as a leading tourist destination, a lifeguard tower on Tel Aviv’s Frishman Beach will temporarily be transformed into a luxurious, 5-star quality hotel at which a few lucky international contest winners will each get to spend one night.

May the best picture win

To win a night’s stay at the lifeguard tower-turned hotel, participants are asked to upload a photo of themselves to Instagram against the background of their city, while wearing beach gear (bathing suits, hats, etc.) they would take with them if they won the trip to Tel Aviv. They also need to hold a sign bearing the hashtag #TAKEME2TELAVIV. The most creative and viral submissions are selected by the project committee, Citiesbreak, in partnership with Hotels.com. One winning couple from each participating country will be flown to Israel for a four-day vacation in Tel Aviv, during the period March 15-25. After that, the structure will revert to being a lifeguard tower in time for Israel’s bathing season.

Tel Aviv, hotel, lifeguard, beach. Photo by Edgar Rafael

The contest winners first night in Tel Aviv will be spent inside the converted lifeguard tower, where they will enjoy a personal butler, a pampering shower, a full breakfast and room service.

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Tel Aviv – and Jerusalem too!

The project is part of a joint initiative of the Israel Tourism Ministry, the city of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv Global, and the “Brown Hotels” Urban Collection. It is also part of the ongoing Two Cities, One Break campaign, which promotes Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in countries that have been targeted as potential markets for increasing tourism to Israel.

Lifeguard, hotel, beach. Photo by Aline Langlieb

“As part of our Two Cities One Break campaign, this project aims to encourage incoming tourism to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem,” Minister of Tourism, Yariv Levin said in a statement. “Each city has its own unique attributes, and in Tel Aviv, we are focusing on the nonstop nightlife, the growing culinary scene, and its famous beaches. We are in the midst of an increase in incoming tourism, and we closed out 2016 with a 4 percent rise in tourism.”

“An additional tool to promote the city”

“The transformation of a lifeguard tower into a luxury hotel for tourists is a perfect example of the innovation that drives Tel Aviv-Yafo’s success – in tech, in tourism, and in lifestyle,” Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ron Huldai said in a statement. “This unique project takes advantage of Tel Aviv-Yafo’s world-renowned beaches in an exciting and creative way, giving us an additional tool in our daily efforts to promote the city as a top international tourist destination.”