中國網(wǎng)站品牌欄目（頻道）
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 Heartbreak Hotel: The Carlton Ambassador hotel in Hague, Netherlands - one of several locations Jim Halfens uses as part of his 'Divorce Hotel' concept |
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A Dutch entrepreneur has offered couples the chance of a weekend away with a difference - by staying in a hotel where he will help them finalise their divorce. Jim Halfens' 'Divorce Hotel' allows pairs intent on breaking up to get quick divorces by staying for two days in their accommodation and coming out as two all-but-separated people. The Netherlands-based firm aim to talk couples through alimony, splitting assets, visitation rights for children and any other outstanding marital issues to help finalise a divorce. Their two-day process of drawing together documentation by having the two parties, lawyers, and mediators all in the same hotel for a weekend aims to quicken a process which can normally be drawn out for weeks or months. The concept was created by Jim Halfens, whose website says the company offers 'an affordable 5-star divorce made-to-measure'. Mr Halfens uses high-end hotels around the country, putting up the couple in separate rooms (if they wish) and providing mediators and legal advice for a set fee. Once the divorcing couple leave the hotel at the end of their stay, the only thing left to do is show the agreement to a judge, as required in Dutch law, which can take a couple of weeks. The company assesses couples when they apply for the service, to make sure they are suitable for the process and not caught up in a bitter dispute. It then ensures both parties' wellbeing during the stay. Mr Halfens said he was inspired to create the company after watching a college friend go through a painful separation. He told the New York Times: 'He was losing weight, he was unable to have fun in life anymore and they were fighting every time you saw them — it was horrible. 'The divorce negotiations dragged on for five months. I was convinced there has to be another way.' The idea has become so popular that several television companies in America are looking at making it into a documentary series. Mr Halfens is also looking to expand into other countries, suggesting that the USA and Germany could be next on the list. (Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
一位荷蘭企業(yè)家為夫婦們提供了一個不一樣的周末度假方式——通過讓他們住進(jìn)一家旅館來幫助他們成功離婚。 吉姆?哈爾芬斯的“離婚旅館”讓那些下決心分手的夫婦在旅館里待上兩天就能迅速離婚，當(dāng)他們走出旅館時，已經(jīng)是兩個不相干的人。 這家荷蘭公司讓夫婦們對贍養(yǎng)費、財產(chǎn)分割、子女探視權(quán)和其他未解決的婚姻問題一一進(jìn)行討論，目的是幫助他們達(dá)成離婚。 在周末的兩天時間里，夫婦雙方、律師和調(diào)解人都會在同一個旅館里，一起起草文件，這樣可以加快離婚進(jìn)度，通常要拖上幾周或幾月的離婚事宜在兩天里就可辦完。 這一概念是由吉姆?哈爾芬斯開創(chuàng)的，他的網(wǎng)站上稱，公司提供“五星級經(jīng)濟(jì)離婚專用房”。 哈爾芬斯在全國各地開辦了高級旅館，讓夫婦兩人住在不同的房間里（如果他們希望這樣的話），還提供明碼標(biāo)價的調(diào)解人和法律咨詢服務(wù)。 當(dāng)要離婚的夫婦在周末結(jié)束時離開旅館時，他們要做的只剩下一件事，就是按荷蘭法律的規(guī)定把離婚協(xié)議呈交給法官，通常需要幾周時間。 該公司在收到這一服務(wù)的申請時會對提出申請的夫婦做一下評估，確保他們適合這種程序，不會產(chǎn)生激烈的爭執(zhí)。 然后該公司還要確保雙方在住旅館期間安然無恙。 哈爾芬斯說，他之所以會產(chǎn)生創(chuàng)立這一公司的靈感，是因為看到一個大學(xué)朋友經(jīng)歷了痛苦的離婚。 他告訴《紐約時報》說：“他日漸消瘦，再也無法感受到生活的樂趣，每次你看到他們，他們都在吵架——這太可怕了。 “離婚協(xié)商過程拖了五個月。我堅信一定有另一種方法。” 他的想法非常受歡迎，美國好幾家電視公司正考慮把它拍成系列紀(jì)錄片。 哈爾芬斯也打算將離婚旅館擴(kuò)張到其他國家，他指出，美國和德國可能是下一個目標(biāo)地。 相關(guān)閱讀 （中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 陳丹妮 編輯：Julie） |
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Vocabulary: outstanding: 未解決的；未完成的 made-to-measure: 定做的 put up: 供給……住宿 |
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