"We don't want to convey a sex hotel image, so we don't put much sex equipment
[paraphernalia] in the rooms. We are branding the love motel concept, with an
emphasis on style and luxury," Bai said.
Love and Rivalry
Riding on the success of WeGo's hedonist paradise are a growing number of love
villas in Taichung, and Kaohsiung, which boast larger, more extravagant rooms.
One of the latest and most upscale additions to the market is Mulan Motel in
Taichung, made in the likeness of a lavish spa resort.
The high price of land in Taipei has kept WeGo's competitors to a minimum. On a
similar sized plot of land, I MORE Motel houses 70 rooms, some as large as 60
ping (198 square meters).
Opened in December last year, I MORE's rooms are clearly bigger than those at
WeGo, but use the same theme-style approach in their interior decoration. In
addition to the queen-sized bedroom furniture is a variety of recreational
equipment from big screen TV's (often more than one) and karaoke to rooms
fitted with a private pool. Bathrooms are the main attraction, however, with a
sauna, shower and party-sized hot tub in every room. The major difference
between the two motels is I MORE's emphasis on sex with its sex-toy slot
machines and selection of imported mechanical sex chairs. The motel also hired
two actors to demonstrate 48 positions for an instructional program that plays
on one of the many available adult channels.
Clients range in age from 25 to 50, but despite the queue of luxury sedans
driving in, rooms are not always occupied by the wealthy.
"Maybe they are not rich, but they will spend the money on a motel, because for
a short time they can be treated and pretend like they are rich," said I MORE
marketing manager Kyle Lai. "Actually we don't call ourselves a `love motel,'
we like to think of this as a `dream motel.' We are selling dreams, not rooms."
Wealthy or not, those dreams come with a hefty price tag.
A two hour "rest" at either motel can cost upward of NT$2,500, or NT$6,800 for
12 hours. For a large number of couples, however, it remains a small price to
pay. An average day at WeGo Taipei sees 500 couples, which even at the least
expensive rate of NT$1,500, translates as NT$750,000 per day. Weekends and
rainy days draw an even larger turnover resulting in a queue of cars waiting
three to four hours, Bai said. Both have overfill parking lots for patrons
willing to wait it out.
Cleaning Up
Once
inside guests are treated with superior service. Both WeGo and I MORE have ISO
9001 certification, which assumes an international standard of quality in the
hospitality industry. Cleaning procedures demand three housekeepers to clean
one room, which is inspected prior to being rented out. Both motels claimed
housekeepers spend 20 to 30 minutes per room. Bathrooms and bedrooms are also
stocked with a wide selection 
of toiletries and confectioneries that compare, if not exceed in quantity,
those found in a five-star hotel. Despite the comparable room prices and
standards to fashionable business hotels, love motels are for couples only. No
more and no less than two people are permitted in a room at one time, and no
entrance is permitted to anyone below18 years of age.
Love motels, new and old, are viewed as models of discretion, according to Lai,
who assures anonymity and said guests rarely see the staff.
Normally, a receptionist sits in a booth at the entrance of the building
greeting drivers and directing them to a room. A garage door automatically
opens and closes once the car enters. Any room service is delivered to a
special area outside the door, after which the wait staff leaves and notifies
the guests by telephone that the food has arrived. I MORE has a separate
hallway accessible only to the housekeeping "or guests in need of an escape
route," Lai said.
WeGo doesn't have a secret passageway but it does have a pre-recorded
soundtrack device that, with a a flick of the remote, will reproduce the
background noise heard at a MRT station, beach or office when making a phone
call.
Designed for love, the motels are setting hospitality standards. "Romance
motels are designing some of the most luxurious, high-tech rooms in the
country," Lai said.
The Taipei Times
