Rio de Janeiro - Hotels have been given some pretty weird names over the years. The Baltic Bitch Hotel, the Resist Bacteria Hotel and the Elephant Butte Inn are just a few.
And if names are important to you chances are you won’t want to be checking into the Fetish Hotel – unless, of course, that’s your, um, fetish.
But if you are a soccer fan still looking for somewhere to stay during the World Cup in Brazil, you may have no choice. Hotels have hiked up their prices and travel agents say most of Rio is booked solid.
So some travellers are getting creative and opting to stay in motels that usually cater to Brazilians looking for an illicit tryst. They typically charge lower rates than traditional hotels, and some offer additional amenities, including private pools and “erotic chairs”.
In an interview with CNN, Michael Fine, a travel consultant based in Sao Paulo, says motels have sprung up across Brazil to serve young people who live at home before getting married, but want a night of privacy.
“To be clear, these are not brothels. While there are many low-end ‘fleabag’ motels renting rooms for 30 minutes at a time, other places offer high-end features such as hot tubs, themed rooms and saunas,” said Fine.
Felipe Martinez, who runs the 60-room Lush Motel in Sao Paulo, says bookings from foreign clients have surged. He expects international business to triple during the World Cup, boosting sales by 20 percent.
Rooms are going for between $105 (R1 120) and $620 a night, about twice the price clients pay for a typical half-day stay, he said.
Martinez has gone out of his way to attract visiting soccer fans by launching an English-language version of his website, and promoting it on Booking.com and Expedia.
For the more adventurous and possibly kinky traveller, Portuguese-language site GuiaDeMoteis.com.br lists motels such as Opium, Swing and Fetish. The site lets you search for rooms with waterbeds, erotic chairs, dance floors and party suites.
And they’re unlikely to stretch your budget. Trivago shows that motel prices are roughly 25 percent lower than hotels.
“Love motels are a bargain,” said Katie Merrill, a spokeswoman for the price comparison website. The average price in Rio de Janeiro during the World Cup is $219, compared with $287 for a traditional hotel room, she said. - Sunday Tribune