Love Hotels Get Fancier in Mexico
Discretion and privacy were the name of the game, but now luxury and comfort are available at some "love hotels" in Mexico, according to The Guardian.
The hotels are known by their neon signs, have typically been windowless, and rooms include a bed and television at best.
But now, they are getting upgrades.
"I thought that if making love is so beautiful and fun, how come the spaces for it are so ugly and boring," designer Aurelio Vazquez told The Guardian.
Vazquez is credited with starting the trend when he renovated at hotel in the country's capital, Mexico City.
"Before, they weren't exactly horrible, but they weren't nice either. Now some are really great," Josimar, a regular client of the Pirámides del Valle, told the Guardian.
The Piramides del Valle was one of the hotels that had the basics, but now it has a room with a catwalk, and a long swimming pool which has a grotto behind a cascade.
Other hotels now also offer jacuzzis, rotating platforms, poles, swings and cushioned corners with handcuffs.
But the trend began slowly, according to Vazquez. Hotel owners often distrusted their clients and saw them as seedier individuals who would vandalize rooms and steal furniture.
After the first renovation became a success, the offers came rolling in, Vazquez said.
The love motels have existed for a long time in Mexico, since most individuals consider it disrespectful to have sex in a family home -- especially younger adults or teens.
"It would be disrespectful to my family," a lawyer told The Guardian. "I have been with my boyfriend for two years now and I am sure my parents know we have sex; they just don't want to know that they know."
Cultural commentator Guadalupe Loaeza said, "It is a deeply rooted in our double standards."
And the discretion that comes with these hotels also protects gay clients like Josimar and his partner.
"I need to protect him," Josimar said. "And we feel very comfortable in the nice hotels."
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