German hotel charges guests by kilo

BERLIN, Mar 18 (Reuters) A hotel in northern Germany has started charging its guests by the kilo for an overnight stay.

In the town of Norden, close to the Dutch border, guests now have to step onto the scales before moving into their rooms and fork out half a euro (0.61 dollars ) per kilogram.

''I had many guests who were really huge and I told them to slim down,'' said Juergen Heckrodt, owner of the three-star establishment. ''When they came back the year after and had lost a lot of weight they asked me what are you gonna do for me now?'' Heckrodt said he hoped his initiative would inspire Germans to become leaner and healthier.

''Healthy guests live longer and can come back more often.'' Larger customers may be reassured that the hotel turns no one away who refuses to step on the scales and charges no guest more than 39 euros, the normal single room price.

REUTERS CS RK0828