Born in Asia, and more particularly in Japan, they invite themselves into the Belgian landscape. Far from passing hotels from doubtful hints, they borrow more elegant, and more cozy codes.
Discovering a love hotel is not lightly done. La Villa des Sens, nestled at the edge of Louvain-la-Neuve, is not displayed on Waze or on Google Maps. Here, discretion is queen. Some specific instructions, sent after booking, make it possible to reach the place. This little treasure hunt already says a lot about the promised experience: singular, secret, wrapped in mystery.
After a few detours on gravel paths, the villa is revealed. So far, nothing seems to differentiate the place from a classic charming hotel. But from the Pas de la Porte crossed, guided by Marie (1), the mistress of the place, the atmosphere changes. “We have six rooms. Four are similar to traditional hotel rooms. The other two, the Empress and 50 shades, offer A more daring parenthesis, where desire and sensuality invite themselves without detour. »
Where the Love Hotel is reinventing itself
No more passing hotels with troubles. The new generation love hotels cultivate An aesthetic of care and delicacy, far from dusty clichés. At La Villa des Sens, one thing strikes from the first step: the impeccable cleanliness of the place. Two people take turns on it permanently to ensure hygiene. “It’s not negotiable,” says Marie. Our customers come here with specific expectations, and
Hygiene is one of them. We must be exemplary. ” A requirement reinforced by the frantic pace of reservations. “Some rooms can accommodate two to three couples a day. Each must therefore be
Perfectly repaired, as new, between each passage. ” This question of hygiene sometimes arouses reluctance, recognizes the sexologist Julie Stas de Richelle, but wrongly according to her. “A love hotel is no more or less clean than a classic hotel. When you enter a traditional hotel room, there is a good chance that it was the scene of antics the day before. It is not specific to charming hotels. It is simply a reality of the hotel industry. More broadly, Love Hotels are constantly evolving. “”The concept has developed strongly during the COVIRsays Sébastien, founder of the online guide Let’s Go My Love, specializing in intimate getaway. The couples were looking for loopholes, bubbles of intimacy out of everyday life. ”
Love of discretion
For Marie, taking over this old hotel a decade ago was the starting point for a daring retraining. Making this establishment a love hotel was not going well for everyone, but for her, it was obvious. Regular client of this type of place, it only had to take precedence and go to the other side. Today, she is carrying out this activity with passion, but not without gray areas. “I work part-time in the public service. I am not saying that the two are incompatible … but I prefer that it remains discreet. ” Two hands in hand, it juggles on a daily basis between anonymity and organization, taking care to preserve your own discretion as much as that of its customers. “It’s essential. Those who come here are looking for a refuge, far from looks. ” A need confirmed by Sébastien de Let’s Go My Love: “Discretion and charm are the watchwords. The places we list are chosen above all for their ability to preserve intimacy. ”
Because if we come to the Villa des Sens to rekindle a flame, some also come there to maintain another, more discreet. The one we hide from the agenda, that we were silent, that we dress with silence. Marie is well aware of it: “It is not only for extra-marital relationships that we come here… But there are, of course. ” With this role comes an invisible charge: that of keeping the secrets of others. “I know things that no one else will ever know. Couples that I see returning with different partners. Known faces that I sometimes meet in public. It’s my duty to keep everything for me. ” And sometimes, the requirement of secrecy gives rise to almost surreal scenes. “A client had told her husband that she was leaving jogging. She arrived here in stilettos … She tripped. Open fracture of the tibia. We had to call for help. I doubt that she was able to maintain the version of jogging for a long time. »»
A love getaway, out of time
Why offer yourself a few hours or a night in a love hotel? Why tear out on a daily basis to find yourself elsewhere, otherwise? For Julie Stas de Richelle, sexologist, the reasons are multiple: “This
allows you to escape the routine, but above all Revive the game of seduction. I sometimes advise couples to come each on their side. Not arriving together is already recreating an expectation, an appointment, a fantasy. We imagine, we anticipate, and this is where seduction is reborn. ” But not all partners react in the same way to this unexpected initiative. Marie has thus seen many scenes playing at her door: “I saw guests turn around after three minutes. They understood where they had been taken, and they didn’t like them at all. ” The Love Hotel can also become a precious refuge for the youngest, in search of a space. “”Many young people do not have access to privacy worthy of the name. Some must take risks to find themselves. These establishments, although paid, can offer a more reassuring alternative, ”underlines Julie Stas de Richelle.
Long marginalized, love hotels today seem to find their place in a hotel offer in search of renewal. Neither taboo nor mass phenomenon, They meet a real request: that
of an intimate, confidential, and sometimes fun space. If these establishments require a rigorous organization, their profitability is based on a rapid turnover of the rooms – sometimes rented twice a day – and on a reduced but effective personnel. It remains to be seen whether these places, still discreet, will impose itself tomorrow as a lasting alternative to the standards of classical hotel.
(1) Corrow name.
“Many young people do not have access to intimacy worthy of the name.”
