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A love hotel (ラブホテル, rabu hoteru) is a type of short-stay hotel found in East Asian countries and regions such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, operated primarily for the purpose of allowing couples privacy to have sexual intercourse. The same concept exists in Central America, particularly in Guatemala, where they are called autohotels.^[1]

Love hotels usually offer a room rate for a "rest", or kyūkei (休憩) in Japanese, as well as for an overnight stay. The period of a "rest" varies, typically ranging from one to three hours. Cheaper daytime off-peak rates are common. In general, reservations are not possible, leaving the hotel will forfeit access to the room, and overnight stay rates only become available after 10pm. They may also be used for prostitution or by budget-travelers sharing accommodation.

Entrances are discreet and interaction with staff is minimized, with rooms often selected from a panel of buttons and the bill settled by pneumatic tube, automatic cash machines, or a pair of hands behind a pane of frosted glass. While cheaper hotels are utilitarian, higher-end hotels may feature fanciful rooms decorated with anime characters, equipped with rotating beds, ceiling mirrors, karaoke machines,^[2] strange lighting or styled similarly to dungeons, sometimes including S&M gear.^[3]

These hotels are typically either concentrated in certain city districts such as Dōgenzaka (道玄坂) in Shibuya, Tokyo, near highways on the city outskirts, or in industrial districts. Few Japanese people wish to have a love hotel in their neighbourhood, and construction in residential areas is often opposed.

Love hotel architecture is sometimes garish, with buildings shaped like castles, boats or UFOs and lit with lurid pink and purple neon lighting. However, many love hotels are very ordinary looking buildings, distinguished mainly by having small or covered windows.

History

In Japan, love hotels developed from tea rooms chaya (茶屋), mostly used by prostitutes and their clients, but also by lovers. After World War II, the name tsurekomi yado (連れ込み宿), literally "bring-along inn" was adopted, originally for simple lodgings run by families with a few rooms to spare.SEX. These establishments appeared first around Ueno, Tokyo in part due to demand from Occupation forces, and boomed after 1958 when legal prostitution was abolished and the trade moved underground. The introduction of the automobile in the 1960s brought with it the "motel" and further spread the concept.

In Japan, the original term has since fallen into disuse within the industry itself thanks to the euphemism treadmill, and an ever-changing palette of terms is used by hotel operators keen on representing themselves as more fashionable than the competition. Alternative names include "romance hotel", "fashion hotel", "leisure hotel", "amusement hotel", "couples hotel", and "boutique hotel".^{[citation needed]} SEX!!!!!

Economic aspects

In Japan, the annual turnover of the love hotel industry is more than ¥4 trillion, a figure which is double of Japan's anime market. It is estimated that more than 500 million visits to love hotel take place each year, which means about 1.4 million couples, or 1 percent of Japan's population, visit a love hotel each day.^[4] In recent years, the love hotel business has drawn the interest of the structured finance industry.^[5] Several transactions have been completed where the cash flows from a number of hotels have been securitised and sold to international investors and buy-out funds.^[2]^[6]

References

^ Guatemala : Tips on Accommodations
^ ^a ^b Aiko Wakao, "Developing a passion for love hotels", New Zealand Herald, June 9 2007. Accessed 23 January 2008.
^ Blayne Haggart, "A night in a Japanese love hotel", The Globe and Mail, October 16 2002. Accessed 23 January 2008.
^ Chaplin, 149.
^ Tim Kelly (May 6 2006). "Love for Sale". Forbes. Retrieved 2007-06-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Schreiber, Mark (July 18, 2004). "'Love hotels' juggle bedsheets and balance sheets". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2007-02-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

Takahara, Kanako (October 16, 2007). "No-tell love hotels cash in catering to the carnal" (Newspaper article). Japan Times. Retrieved 2008-01-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear=, |coauthors=, and |month= (help)
rabuho.com—"Love Hotel Information Site".
www.mistykeasler.com—Photographs of Japanese love hotels by photographer Misty Keasler, who published a book on the subject.
Japonismo.com—Traditional and modern Japanese culture, with an article about love hotels, included in the section "Japón y el sexo". Template:Es
Love hotels—an article and a guide to Kansai love hotels at The Quirky Japan Homepage.
Love hotel diaries—Extracts from real love hotel diaries

[1] Guatemala : Tips on Accommodations

[nzherald-2] Aiko Wakao, "Developing a passion for love hotels", New Zealand Herald, June 9 2007. Accessed 23 January 2008.

[3] Blayne Haggart, "A night in a Japanese love hotel", The Globe and Mail, October 16 2002. Accessed 23 January 2008.

[4] Chaplin, 149.

[forbes-5] Tim Kelly (May 6 2006). "Love for Sale". Forbes. Retrieved 2007-06-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[6] Schreiber, Mark (July 18, 2004). "'Love hotels' juggle bedsheets and balance sheets". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2007-02-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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 ==History==
 [[Image:Love hotel dsc04908.jpg|thumb|A love hotel sign in [[Shinjuku]], [[Tokyo]].]]
-In Japan, love hotels developed from tea rooms {{nihongo| ''chaya''|茶屋|}}, mostly used by prostitutes and their clients, but also by lovers. After [[World War II]], the name {{nihongo|''tsurekomi yado''|連れ込み宿|}}, literally "bring-along inn" was adopted, originally for simple lodgings run by families with a few rooms to spare. These establishments appeared first around [[Ueno, Tokyo|Ueno]], [[Tokyo]] in part due to demand from Occupation forces, and boomed after 1958 when legal prostitution was abolished and the trade moved underground. The introduction of the automobile in the 1960s brought with it the "[[motel]]" and further spread the concept.
+In Japan, love hotels developed from tea rooms {{nihongo| ''chaya''|茶屋|}}, mostly used by prostitutes and their clients, but also by lovers. After [[World War II]], the name {{nihongo|''tsurekomi yado''|連れ込み宿|}}, literally "bring-along inn" was adopted, originally for simple lodgings run by families with a few rooms to spare.SEX. These establishments appeared first around [[Ueno, Tokyo|Ueno]], [[Tokyo]] in part due to demand from Occupation forces, and boomed after 1958 when legal prostitution was abolished and the trade moved underground. The introduction of the automobile in the 1960s brought with it the "[[motel]]" and further spread the concept.
 In Japan, the original term has since fallen into disuse within the industry itself thanks to the [[Euphemism#The_.22Euphemism_Treadmill.22|euphemism treadmill]], and an ever-changing palette of terms is used by hotel operators keen on representing themselves as more fashionable than the competition. Alternative names include "romance hotel", "fashion hotel", "leisure hotel", "amusement hotel", "couples hotel", and "boutique hotel".{{fact|date=February 2008}}   SEX!!!!!