Love Hotels Thrive in China
At the Wan Ai hotel next to Beijing Normal University, male receptionists dressed in bright pink shirts are busy taking calls and helping customers check in.
The word "love" is written everywhere and cute cuddly toys can be found all over the pastel pink reception.
But then, the Wan Ai chain does not run ordinary hotels. Instead, they are part of the new phenomenon of love-themed hotels springing up in the country.
Although the concept of love hotels came from Japan, it has quickly spread to other countries in the region such as China and South Korea.
"Our company plans to open a total of 20 new hotels across different locations in China this year," Liu Baolong, hotel manager at Wan Ai, said.
Since rolling out its first hotel in 2011, the Wan Ai chain has opened a total of five properties in Beijing. Outside the capital, franchises can be found in Hubei's Wuhan, Yunnan's Kunming, Henan's Zhengzhou and in Tianjin.
Although there are no official figures to explain this trend, the chain's fast expansion reflects its increasing popularity.
The key feature that distinguishes a love hotel from an ordinary one is the decoration of the rooms. They mainly consist of fantasy interiors, decorated in bright colors, with the walls adorned with hearts.
Across the chain, Wan Ai offers a wide range of themed rooms such as the "I Love Sailing" with a boat-shaped bed. There is also a "Hello Kitty" room jammed full of decorations associated with the cute Japanese cat.
Hotels prices are also an attractive feature for young lovers. For an overnight stay, costs vary greatly depending on the location of the hotel and on the special features of the room.
Prices normally range from 300 yuan ($47) to 900 yuan. But two hours of "private couple time" can be purchased for as low as 100 yuan. Most chains also offer membership deals with discounts and privileges for loyal customers.
In the Chaoyang district, next to the University of International Business and Economics, the Cinema Motel mainly caters for students since opening last September.
Inside the futuristic-looking hotel, every room displays a different movie theme such as Transformers, Harry Potter and The Minions.
But what makes this hotel unique is that each room has a projector to enjoy a private movie screening of the highest quality. The hotel has a catalogue of more than 3,000 mainstream films to choose from. Other services include a 3D option and home theater sound.
"Our business is doing really well," Shao Bu, manager at Cinema Motel, said. "We already have another franchise in Beijing and we are opening a hotel in Suzhou later this year."
Even though China's hotel industry is becoming increasingly competitive, love hotels are booming due to their higher occupancy rates.
The reason for this is that rooms can be rented for hours instead of days. This means a hotel room can be occupied four times in a 24-hour span.
"Although our hotel has only 30 rooms, we receive an average of 100 customers per day," Bu said, adding that this makes Cinema Motel extremely profitable.
Naturally, these type of hotels have filled a gap in the market－a place where young, unmarried couples can go for privacy. In a country where young people live at home until they decide to marry, it can be difficult for them to spend "quality time" together.
Love hotels are just catering to demand. Han Guo in the Haidian district of Beijing started off as a conventional hotel when it first opened its doors five years ago.
But increasing competition from low-price chains, such as Hanting Hotels and Home Inn, forced them to come up with something different.
"We are located near several universities and young people are tired of the traditional hotel accommodation experience," Yu Miaowei, manager of the Han Guo hotel, said. "This is why last year we decided to redecorate the rooms to attract students."
Young couples, according to Yu, decide to stay at the hotel because of the romantic and sweet environment.
Franken Huang, 23, a student, had heard about the phenomenon of Japanese love hotels and thought it was an interesting concept.
"I think love hotels will also be successful in China because people are increasingly looking for novelty and want to try new experiences," Huang said.
