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Love hotels are still hot in Japan
日本情人旅館生意依然紅火
Even in the midst of Japan’s deepest economic recession since World War II, the country’s love hotel industry is thriving.
即使在二戰以來最嚴重的經濟衰退時期，日本情人旅館業依舊生意興隆。
“I’d hate to use the term ‘recession-proof’，but it’s certainly proven very resilient over the last six to nine months,” said Steve Mansfield, CEO of New Perspectives, which operates six love, or “leisure，hotels in Japan.
“我不喜歡使用‘衰退的證明’這樣的字眼,但是在過去6到9個月中，這個行業表現出極強的生命力。”斯蒂夫曼斯菲爾德如是說。他是“新前景”公司的執行總裁,該公司在日本經營著6家情人旅館或者說“休閑”旅館。
One of them, the Bonita Hotel in Isawa, boasts a 257 percent occupancy rate. Rooms can be rented for three to 24 hours.
其中在石和有一家叫“Bonita”的旅館出租率高達257%，房間 可以在24小時內出租3次。
Mansfield’s company estimates the industry in Japan pulls in $40 billion a year in revenue.
據曼斯菲爾德的公司估計，日本情人旅館業的年收人可達400 億美元。
“It’s a natural human desire. Even these days, on the weekend, every love hotel is full of people — it，s hard to get in. You can never stop sexual desire,” said a woman with her boyfriend in Tokyo, who laughed in embarrassment when asked for her name.
“這是人之常情吧。即便是現在，一到周末情人旅館里生意依然 火爆,要住進去還不太容易。性欲是從來都不會停止的。”在東京，—位和男友在一起的女士這么說。當請教她的名字時,她很窘迫地笑了。
Love hotels fill a need for privacy in a country where high population density often means couples have little time alone.
在一個人口密度很高的國度里,情侶們能單獨相處的機會不 多,而情人旅館填補了人們對隱私方面需求的空白。
Rooms offer a broad assortment of features, including karaoke machines, PlayStation game consoles, DVD players, a variety of cosmetics, customized condoms and indoor-outdoor Jacuzzis.
情人旅館的房間提供多種物品，包括卡拉OK機、游戲機、DVD 播放機、各種化妝品、為客人量身定制的避孕套和戶內外兩用按摩 浴缸等。
Though required by law to have a front desk, most can be rented and entered without talking to a clerk.
盡管法律規定情人旅館必須設有前臺，但是大多數情人旅館在 租住房間時不需要和旅館職員講話。
The days of Japanese being ashamed to enter love hotels are coming to an end, though, Mansfield said.
不過,據曼斯菲爾德說，日本人羞于人住情人旅館的日子已經 一去不復返了。
" Seventy-five percent of our guests are members of our points program，he said. “They carry our points cards, they collect points and they receive gifts. That’s something people are very comfortable with, and I think that reflects the customers that we attract.”
他說:“75%的客人是積分制會員，他們帶著積分卡積分并換取禮物。人們很喜歡這樣做,我認為這反映出我們吸引了客人
Takashi Yamamoto, who designs love hotels in Tokyo, agreed.
該公司在東京的情人旅館設計師山本貴也同意這樣的說法。
“The bad image that love hotels had has faded over time. Also, customers started to raise their voices and became more selective about choosing hotels. In response, management has improved.”
“隨著時間的推移,情人旅館的壞名聲消退了。客人們也敢于提髙嗓門，對于旅館的選擇也更挑剔。因此,情人旅館的管理也得以改善了。”
The flashiest love hotels are found in Osaka, including a Hello Kitty-themed hotel and one with room featuring a meny-go-round.
最引人注目的情人旅館在大阪,有一家情人旅館的主題為Hello Kitty,并有一間以旋轉木馬 為特色的房間。
Tokyo hotels tend to be tamer, focused on winning customers with amenities. The Style A Hotel, for example, offers a suite for $ 190 that includes a full-size Jacuzzi andprivate sauna.
東京的情人旅館相對循麵矩,他們把注意力集中在為客人提供方便上。例如Style A旅館在房 價為190美元的套房里安放了大型的按摩浴缸,還提供私人桑拿。
Though young couples make up the majority of customers, they are not the only ones. One man, who declined to be named, said: “I go to love hotels when I’m drunk and don’t feel like going home.
盡管年輕情侶占了客人中的大多數，但不是全部。有一位拒絕透露姓名的男士說，“我有時喝 醉了不想回家，就到情人旅館去。”
Whatever the reasons, the hotels have been doing well enough that Mansfield recently went to London, seeking investors to expand.
不管出于什么原因,情人旅館的生意一直很火。曼斯菲爾德最近去了倫敦，他想尋找投資人來 擴展自己的業務。
“The industry has 25,000 hotels, and through our research we’ve worked out that 90 percent of owners have five or fewer hotels,” he said.
他說：“從事情人旅館行業的有2.5萬家,但據我們的調査顯示，90%的業主只擁有5家或更 少的旅館。”
That fragmentation is a structural inefficiency in the market, he said, one he would like to help correct.
他表示,這種分散的狀況導致市場結構失調，他想要去改變這種現狀。
