A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing guests privacy for sex. The name originates from "Hotel Love" in Osaka. Cheaper daytime off-peak rates are common. In general, reservations are not possible, and leaving the hotel will forfeit access to the room; overnight-stay rates become available only after These hotels may be used for prostitution , although they are sometimes used by budget-travelers sharing accommodation.
Entrances are discreet, and interaction with staff is minimized. Rooms are often selected from a panel of buttons, and the bill may be settled by pneumatic tube , vending machine , or paying an unseen staff member behind a pane of frosted glass. Parking lots will often be concealed and windows will be few, so as to maximize privacy. Although cheaper hotels are often simply furnished, higher-end hotels may feature fanciful rooms decorated with anime characters, be equipped with rotating beds, ceiling mirrors, karaoke machines, [ 4 ] and unusual lighting.
These hotels are typically either concentrated in city districts close to stations, near highways on the city outskirts or in industrial districts. Love hotel architecture is sometimes garish, with buildings shaped like castles, boats or UFOs and lit with neon lighting. There are three predominant chained hourly hotel groups Victoria, Park Excellent, and Kowloon Tong in Hong Kong since the 90s, as the economy was booming.
There were hundreds of nightclubs opening, and many of those girls offer prostitution service both hourly, overnight , [ 7 ] where people usually opted for the cheaper option hourly and that play a big role in the growing trend of hourly hotels. But after the era of s, hourly hotels are mainly for couples, because having a personal place is becoming a luxury most people cannot afford. A Japanese-influenced love hotel project in Canada opened its doors in Toronto in early , which was the first and only love hotel in the country to offer an authentic Japanese experience.
These establishments appeared first around Ueno , Tokyo in part due to demand from Occupation forces, and boomed after when legal prostitution was abolished and the trade moved underground. The introduction of the automobile in the s brought with it the " motel " and further spread the concept. Japanese housing trends at the time were characterized by small homes with sleeping areas being used as common areas during the day and, as a result, little opportunity for parents to engage privately in intercourse.
