A woman backpacking across Europe got to Vienna and discovered her hostel was inside an Ikea. She said it was a 'weird' experience, but not in a bad way.

Geoff Weiss
·2 min read
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  • Jess Braun was shocked to learn her Vienna hostel was located inside the local Ikea.

  • Glass walls meant you could look down at shoppers below — a "weird" scene at nighttime, she said.

  • Her TikTok about the unusual accommodation blew up, leaving viewers intrigued.

During a two-and-a-half-week backpacking trip across Europe last summer with two friends, Jess Braun was delighted and a little perplexed to discover upon touching down in Vienna, Austria, that her hostel was located inside an Ikea.

Braun, a 28-year-old Ontario native, left the reservation to her friend, she told Business Insider, so she didn't know about the unconventional accommodation until their flight landed.

"I was like, 'What do you mean we have to go in Ikea?" she said.

Upon arrival, Braun whipped out her phone and filmed the trio's ascent up the escalators to Jo & Joe — the hostel located on the store's top two floors.

"We got some looks when we were walking in with our big backpacks," Braun said — adding that guests can alternatively enter via a dedicated elevator on the ground floor. "It looked like we were moving into Ikea."

Once inside, Braun described the digs as "very spacious" and "industrial but chill." Glass walls meant you could look down at Ikea shoppers below. And at night, when the store was closed, the scene gave off "'Night At the Museum' vibes," she said, referencing the fantasy movie franchise in which museum artifacts come to life. She said the experience was "weird" but not "creepy."

Braun said Jo & Joe was the "most unique" hostel she'd ever stayed in — and it was affordable, too. The three-person room cost 341 Euros, or $372, for three nights, and the Ikea cafeteria provided a cheap and delicious dining option.

When she posted about the experience on TikTok, it blew up, receiving a staggering 2.7 million views. Commenters were intrigued. "Surely they do hostel IKEA hide and seek nights," one wrote. "This would make me feel safer lol," another added.

The hostel opened in 2021 as part of a partnership between Jo & Joe, which is owned by French hospitality giant Accor, and Ikea. The space features some Ikea furniture and fixings, Braun said, but a decidedly different design scheme.

For those looking for an even more Ikea-themed experience, the furniture brand does operate one hotel in Älmhult — the Swedish city where the company originated. Opened in 1964, it comprises 250 rooms as well as a restaurant, and is located across the street from an Ikea museum.

Read the original article on Insider