
If the mention of a floating hotel conjures visions of a futuristic designer hub, think again, as at one such establishment in Bangladesh, you won't even find a mattress.

And to make matters even less comfortable for those who value their personal space, guests spending the night in its cheapest rooms will need to do so while lying next to other holidaymakers.

But despite the basic facilities, workers and tourists flock to the Faridpur Hotel in Dhaka because an overnight stay there costs as little as 31p.

If the mention of a floating hotel conjures visions of a futuristic designer hub, think again, as at one such establishment in Bangladesh, you won't even find a mattress

Instead, the guests stay in cramped living quarters - the most basic of which is just a room where all the guests sleep on one mattress-less 'bed' (pictured)

Many of the guests staying at the hotel are traders who work in the area and some stay there for months at a time

For less than the price of a bar of chocolate, guests are given a place to spend the night and have access to free water and toilets during their stay

These cheap floating hotels popped up for the first time in the city in the Fifties, mainly to accommodate Hindu traders who came to Dhaka for business by the Buriganga river. Over time, their numbers gradually increased.

After Bangladesh declared independence, their numbers fell to just five.

The Faridpur Hotel, situated on the bank of the Buriganga river, is made up of five separate floating boats.

But unlike the comfy hotels with exquisite furnishing and striking views that Western travellers are used to, these cheap beds are anything but fancy.

For less than the price of a bar of chocolate, guests are given a place to spend the night and have access to free water and toilets during their stay.

They also get a small locker to keep their possessions in.

These cheap floating hotels popped up for the first time in the city in the Fifties, mainly to accommodate Hindu traders who came to Dhaka for business by the Buriganga river

The Faridpur Hotel (pictured above), situated on the bank of the Buriganga river, is made up of five separate floating boats

Although there are both single and double private cabins, the facilities are not designed for families and they're not allowed to stay at the hotel

There are no TV sets, no living-dining area, no comfy, queen size mattresses and no flowers to decorate the room. Yet at any given point in a day, one can find scores of guests packed inside the floating hotels.

Muhammad Mustafa Miyan, the 46-year-old owner of Faridpur Hotel, said: 'We have anywhere around 40 guests at a time in our hotel and they stay for as long as three months.'

There are 48 rooms in the hotel, consisting of private cabins and beds.

The lowest price of Taka 30, or 31 pence, applies to a bed in a shared room perched on a large launch.

There are no mattresses and those who stay there are forced to use bedding to making things a little more comfortable.

Its most expensive rooms cost Taka 120 (£1.25), for which a guest gets a private cabin.

But these hotels are not meant for families. Instead, it's mainly traders from different district and towns who need to stay near the busy Sadarghat area of the city that stay there.

And there are many traders who stay in these hotels for long periods of time.

Muhammad Mustafa Miyan, the 46-year-old owner of Faridpur Hotel, said: 'We have anywhere around 40 guests at a time in our hotel and they stay for as long as three months'

Floating hotels had been extremely popular and at one point, there were over 50. Now, there are only around five in the city

Left, a man using the outdoor shower area on the boat and right, a man walking out from the hotel, which floats on the heavily polluted river

Siraj Mohammad, 55, is a fruit seller who has spent more than 40 years in these floating hotels - staying between his home in Shariatpur and Dhaka.

Over the years, Mohammad has learnt to make himself feel comfortable at the accommodations.

He said: 'I came to Dhaka before independence. At that time, there were at least 50 floating hotels in Buriganga and it was convenient and cheap. For me it was the best option to live in Dhaka. So I stayed back.'

Like him, there are at least 15 other traders who have lived in these floating hotels for five to 20 years.

Miyan, who has been running the hotel for the last 26 years, says the popularity of the hotel is mainly down to its price.

He said: 'It is cheap so people who come from small towns and villages for their work and business stay here.

'For a nominal price, they get purified water, clean toilets, separate beds.

'And we also provide our customers with small lockers to keep their valuable things. But food is not provided.'

The lowest price of Taka 30, or 31 pence, applies to a bed in a shared room (pictured) perched on a large launch

There are no mattresses and those who stay there are forced to use bedding to making things a little more comfortable