CNN recently reported that love hotels are thriving despite the recession in Japan. Rooms can be rented for three to 24 hours and some hotels have an occupancy rate of over 250%.
Fellow Japan blogger Quirky Japan Blog wrote a book about Love Hotels in Japan. Please visit his site.
Below are a few pictures of love hotels that I took in Shinkuju.
I don’t understand why CNN would think that love hotel usage would be tied to the recession. This isn’t a luxury item that people would cut back on when money got tight. Love hotels are as much a matter of privacy and getting away from everyone else as they are about being able to get a quickie during lunch…
The travel industry, which would including airlines and hotels, and luxury items (LV, Tiffany, etc.) have been hit hard by the recession. It is debatable whether you would consider Love Hotels as part of travel (I guess they are really not hotels that tourist would normally stay at), but as you say, it is considered a luxury item and thus would be affected.