The Happy Meal Inn

The golden arches are stretching to encompass more than just fast food. McDonald's Corp. (Oakbrook, Ill.) will open two Golden Arch Hotels in Switzerland, in March, targeting business travelers on weekdays and families on weekends.

The hotel plans are representative of a number of experiments the company has been performing in Europe, including the McCafe coffee bar in countries like Portugal and Austria and McDonald's brand ketchup in German supermarkets. McDonald's chair and ceo Jack Greenberg says such trial products are the result of efforts to extend the McDonald's brand beyond burgers and fries. If the hotel endeavor proves successful, more hotels could crop up in other parts of the world.